Managing Patient Treatment Through Deming's PDCA Cycle: A Standardized Approach in Phases That Adds Value to Dental Care.

This essay is an expert opinion by three clinicians who feel the need for a clear, phased approach that integrates all dental therapies to care for patients suffering from multiple pathologies of the oral cavity. At the moment, the only guidelines available when treating interdisciplinary cases (ie, patients with multiple overlapping pathologies and conditions, such as carious disease, periodontal disease, malocclusion, incongruous restorations, etc) are those describing the proper sequence of periodontal therapy. The authors take inspiration from a method developed in the manufacturing world, so-called lean management, and its tools to outline the sequence of therapy phases and the correct allocation of the various activities within these phases. In lean healthcare, the patients are the center of attention, and they “pull” the process with their health as the main value.