Foot Mouse for DENTAL HYGIENISTS:
Hands Free Perio Charting with the Dental R.A.T.

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For hygienists

The Problem a Foot Mouse Solves for Hygienists

A conventional charting workflow forces a trade-off. You can chart alone by setting down the probe, de-gloving or touching a keyboard with contaminated gloves, and then resuming. Or you can pull an assistant out of the schedule to sit and record numbers. Both options cost time and interrupt the flow of the exam. Touching shared keyboards and mice also undermines the chain of asepsis.

Voice-recognition charting was meant to fix this, but hygienists report that it struggles in a busy operatory. Michelle Heil, BS, RDH, a hygienist with 18 years of experience, tried voice-activated charting and became frustrated by errors caused by the technology. She found the Dental R.A.T. to be a true fix for the problem of charting alone.

The device

How the Dental R.A.T. Foot Mouse Works

The Dental R.A.T. is a foot-operated mouse that gives hands-free access to perio charting, intraoral cameras and digital X-rays. It needs no additional software to operate. You plug it into a USB port and it works with the charting software you already use. Each control has a defined job:

  • Toe button: moves the arrow on the screen, just as a regular mouse does.
  • Four input buttons: enter charting numbers 1 through 8 and perform the right click.
  • Heel button: acts as the left click.
  • Audio feedback: repeats each number through computer speakers or a headset as it is entered.

Because the device behaves as a mouse, anything your hand mouse can do, your foot can do. For bleeding, recession and similar findings, you park the cursor on the on-screen entry and tap your heel. The Dental R.A.T. 2.0 can be used wireless or wired.

Audio Feedback: Verification and Patient Education

The audio feedback matters clinically as well as for convenience. When each value is spoken back as you enter it, you can confirm that the number you intended is the number recorded without looking away from the patient to the screen. This addresses a common source of charting error, where a keystroke or click lands on the wrong site and goes unnoticed until later.

The spoken numbers also help with patient education. The patient hears the readings and can connect them to the condition of their tissues. A headset can be used when you want the numbers kept private. If you prefer silence, the computer speakers can simply be turned off. The audio feedback is installed from a download for Mac or Windows.

Maintaining the Chain of Asepsis

Every time a gloved hand touches a keyboard, mouse or touchscreen, that surface becomes a possible route for cross-contamination. It must then be disinfected or barrier-protected. Controlling the computer with your foot removes that step. You do not need to de-glove and re-glove between probing and recording, and no one else needs to handle the computer on your behalf. Patients notice this. Shawna V. said she appreciates knowing that "they are keeping things sterile," and that with the Dental R.A.T. no one else hears her numbers.

Beyond the perio chart

More Than a Charting Tool

Since the Dental R.A.T. is a fully functional foot mouse, its usefulness extends beyond the perio chart:

  • Open, close and zoom in on digital X-rays and photographs.
  • Capture images with an intraoral camera. If a left click captures the picture with your hand mouse, a heel click captures it with the Dental R.A.T.
  • Check the schedule and move through practice management screens.

Vickie Weaver, BS, RDH, described using her feet to review X-rays and take full-mouth probings. She noted that even with an assistant available, the foot control was unobtrusive and easy to operate for those quick moments when she wanted another view of the bitewings or needed to check a pocket.

Works With the Software You Already Use

The Dental R.A.T. has been tested with Dentrix, Eaglesoft, PracticeWorks, Softdent, PerioExec, Open Dental and MacPractice. It also works with Florida Probe software.

Other packages, including Daisy Dental, Alta, Genesis, Dentech, Maxim, Panda Perio and XL Dent, are also run with it.

Dental R.A.T. maintains a series of software-specific training videos for the most commonly requested periodontal software brands, so you can see the device working with your own program.

Hygienist feedback

What Hygienists Say

Hygienists across experience levels describe the same outcomes: consistency, thoroughness and less strain.

  • Patti DiGangi, RDH, BS, called it one of the easiest ways to take charting and diagnosis to a higher level "without further injuring our own bodies." Reducing awkward reaching and repeated hand movements is a real ergonomic concern in hygiene.
  • Penny Loucks, RDH, reported that after 25 years in practice she was completely consistent with her perio charting for the first time.
  • Natalie Barrett, RDH, said the device helps her be more thorough and gives her, the dentist and the patient current data so she can treat the conditions she finds.
  • Sophie P., RDH, BS, valued charting all her readings when she wants and accurately the first time.
  • Michelle Heil, BS, RDH, said the whole staff felt a drop in stress because assistants were no longer pulled in many directions, and she recommended one for every hygiene operatory.
Specifications

Practical Notes on Fit and Speed

The foot unit fits shoe sizes from a woman's 4 up, and some doctors with a size 13 use it. The cursor speed is adjustable across 1,000 settings, so you can slow it for precision or speed it up as you gain confidence. Most hygienists find the cursor the hardest control to master, and the learning curve is still short. The Dental R.A.T. 2.0 comes with a one-year warranty, and additional years can be purchased.

See It Before You Decide

Dental R.A.T. offers a free demo of the foot mouse. To arrange one, or to ask questions about your software, call 877-278-0061, Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm, or email bky.logue@gmail.com. Hands-free perio charting is about making the best decision for your hands, your patients and your schedule.

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Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the audio feedback help me chart more accurately?

As you enter each number with your foot, the computer says it aloud. You can confirm the value was recorded correctly without turning to the screen, which helps catch an entry on the wrong site as it happens. The spoken numbers also let the patient follow along.

Can I keep the numbers private from the patient or the rest of the office?

Yes. A headset that plugs into the unit lets only the wearer hear the numbers. If you do not want audio at all, you can turn the computer speakers off or disable the sound. On Windows, you can right click the USB icon and choose enable or disable.

How do I enter bleeding, recession and other findings with my foot?

Depending on your software, you park the mouse cursor on the on-screen field and tap your heel to enter it. Most programs also include an on-screen keyboard. You move the cursor to the number you want and heel click. The training videos demonstrate this step by step.

Will the foot mouse fit my shoe size?

It fits sizes from a woman's 4 on up. Some doctors who wear a size 13 use it as well. The buttons are operated with a simple toe tap or heel tap, so the unit does not depend on a particular foot size.

How does a foot mouse reduce the need to de-glove?

With a conventional setup, you must touch a keyboard or mouse to record data, which means removing gloves or contaminating the surface. With the Dental R.A.T., your foot controls the cursor and number entry, so your gloved hands stay with the patient. This supports the chain of asepsis and cuts down on repeated glove changes.

Can I adjust how fast the cursor moves?

Yes. There are 1,000 speed settings. To speed the cursor up, hold buttons #1 and #2 together while moving the joystick up or away from you. To slow it down, hold them while moving the joystick down or toward you. The change depends on how long you hold the joystick, so a short bump is a good place to start.

Does hands-free charting help with ergonomics?

Hygienists are prone to musculoskeletal strain from sustained, repetitive hand and wrist work. Moving computer control to your feet removes the reaching, setting down of instruments and repeated hand movements that charting normally requires. Patti DiGangi, RDH, BS, described it as a way to improve charting and diagnosis without further injuring our own bodies.

Can I review X-rays and bitewings during the exam without touching anything?

Yes. The Dental R.A.T. gives hands-free access to digital X-rays as well as the perio chart. You can open, close and zoom in on images with your foot. Hygienist Vickie Weaver found this convenient for taking another look at bitewings or checking a pocket in the middle of an exam.

Is the Dental R.A.T. only for periodontal specialty offices?

No. It is useful for anyone who needs access to a computer program while their hands are busy. General dental offices as well as periodontal offices across the country use it successfully in hygiene operatories.

What is the difference between the Dental R.A.T. and Boomer the foot mouse?

The Dental R.A.T. has dedicated number buttons for entering periodontal charting values. Boomer is a wireless foot mouse without the numbers, designed for doctors' operatories. If your priority is entering perio numbers with your foot, the Dental R.A.T. is the device built for that task.

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