J Am Dent Assoc. 1982 Apr;104(4):498-500.
Retail store dentistry has shown increased activity and growth in recent years. Since 1977, when the first retail store dental facility opened, the number has grown to 63, housed in 18 department store and three drugstore chains in 14 states and the District of Columbia. A limited practice and patient survey was conducted. The participating retail store dental centers reported being open five or six days per week with operating hours extending to 6 pm or 8 pm. Credit cards (store and major bank credit cards) are accepted for payment by all five centers, and each center spent a mean of $1,520 in the past year for advertising. All dentists were younger than 40 years; a fourth were younger than 30. Most patient visits (90%) were by appointment. Patients typically shop regularly at the store and liver near it. The features of the retail store dental office identified as most important by respondents were convenient hours, convenient location, and low cost. Although the survey presents some insight into practice characteristics and patient characteristics of retail store dental practices, only a limited sample from one-particular geographic region was examined. The extent of staff influence or assistance in interpreting or explaining patient questionnaires is also undetermined. Further studies of a larger, more geographically representative group of retail store centers with a larger number of patients, should be undertaken to provide a more comprehensive view of retail store dentistry.
近年来，零售商店牙科业务呈现出日益活跃和增长的态势。自1977年第一家零售商店牙科机构开业以来，其数量已增至63家，分布在14个州和哥伦比亚特区的18家百货商店及3家连锁药店中。开展了一项有限的业务及患者调查。参与调查的零售商店牙科中心报告称，每周营业五或六天，营业时间延长至下午6点或晚上8点。所有五个中心均接受信用卡支付（商店卡和主要银行信用卡），且每个中心在过去一年的广告支出平均为1520美元。所有牙医年龄均在40岁以下；四分之一的牙医年龄在30岁以下。大多数患者就诊（90%）是通过预约。患者通常在该商店定期购物且居住在其附近。受访者认为零售商店牙科诊所最重要的特征是营业时间便利、位置便利和成本低廉。尽管该调查对零售商店牙科业务的实践特征和患者特征提供了一些见解，但仅考察了来自一个特定地理区域的有限样本。在解释或说明患者问卷方面，工作人员的影响或协助程度也尚未确定。应针对数量更多、地域代表性更强的零售商店中心以及更多患者开展进一步研究，以便更全面地了解零售商店牙科业务。
