Hygiene Program Strength

The strength of the hygiene program is key, as it’s the hygiene revenue that a purchaser can rely on as a sustainable revenue stream going forward. Patients become accustomed to attending for hygiene appointments at certain intervals, seeing the same hygienist and paying a certain amount for hygiene procedures. This, for the most part, continues unchanged with sale of a practice, whereas dentists’ billing can change dramatically based on the dental provider.

There are two primary metrics to consider when evaluating the strength of the hygiene program:

• What proportion of the overall patient base attends for regular hygiene appointments

• How much hygiene care on average does each hygiene patient consume annually?

All other factors equal, a practice with 90% of their patient base on a regular recare/hygiene maintenance program, with average frequency of six months has a stronger hygiene program than a practice with 80% of patients on a regular program with average frequency of nine months. If the hygiene program is weak, there may be an opportunity for a purchaser to yield some improvement through patient and staff education and a greater focus on preventive care.