Treat Your Patients Right
Patients want to feel they are getting the best care. Complete, regularly kept records are one of the clearest signs of it. When periodontal readings are recorded accurately at every visit, the clinician, the dentist, and the patient all work from current data. That data shows whether tissue is stable, improving, or breaking down. It also supports treatment decisions that match what the clinician actually finds.
The Dental R.A.T. makes that consistency practical. The hygienist enters readings with the foot while both hands stay on the instruments, so charting is not dropped or postponed because no assistant is free.
How Hands Free Charting Protects the Chain of Asepsis
Infection control in the operatory depends on the chain of asepsis. Gloved hands should touch only what has been prepared for the procedure. A conventional computer keyboard or hand mouse works against that. A clinician who touches either one with contaminated gloves transfers microbes to a surface the next person, or the next patient, will touch. The usual fixes are to de-glove, enter the data, wash, and re-glove, or to cover the peripherals with barriers. Both add steps and interrupt the appointment.
Because the hands never leave the patient's mouth, the clinician can chart, open X-rays, and run an intraoral camera without breaking the chain of asepsis. Idaho State University's Kathleen Hodges, RDH, MS, says student clinicians who use the R.A.T. with their hardware and software are better able to maintain it.
The Dental R.A.T. removes the need to touch the computer by moving control to the floor.
The device works like this:
- Toe button: moves the on-screen arrow, like a regular mouse.
- Four input buttons: enter charting numbers 1-8 and the right click.
- Heel button: works as the left click.
- Audio feedback: repeats each number through computer speakers or a headset as it is entered.
Note: A foot-operated device supports infection control but does not replace it. Offices should keep following their own protocols for surface disinfection, barriers, and hand hygiene.
Privacy: Only the Operator and the Patient Hear the Numbers
Many patients already feel they are being tested while probing is underway. A full periodontal exam involves several readings per tooth, and when those numbers are called out for an assistant to record, everyone in earshot hears them. A patient who is anxious about gum health may find that uncomfortable.
With the Dental R.A.T., the clinician enters the readings alone, so the information stays between the operator and the patient. A headset can be plugged in so the numbers are heard privately. If the office prefers no audio, the computer speakers can simply be turned off. One patient, Shawna V., put it this way: she already feels like she is being tested, but this way no one else hears her numbers, and she knows the team is keeping things sterile.
Educating the Patient While You Chart
The audio feedback does more than confirm entries. As each number is entered, the computer speaks it, so the patient hears their own readings in real time. This turns a silent, technical task into a conversation. The clinician can explain what pocket depths and bleeding mean and connect them to a home-care plan.
Recording readings and educating the patient at the same moment makes the time spent with the patient more valuable. Patients who understand their numbers are better placed to follow recommendations. Clear communication of this kind also supports increased hygiene production, because informed patients are more likely to accept and schedule needed care.
What Patients Notice About Cleanliness
Patients are increasingly aware of cross-contamination. They appreciate computer technology in the operatory, but they also know how dirty keyboards and mice can get. When they see a clinician enter data without leaving their mouth and without touching a shared surface, it signals that their needs come first. That visible attention to hygiene builds confidence in the whole practice.
Charting Alone Without Compromising Care
The Dental R.A.T. allows a hygienist to run the operatory software without an assistant and without the risk of cross-contamination. That also benefits the patient. The hygienist is not waiting on a second person or repeating readings that were misheard. Fewer people handling the chart means fewer chances for transcription errors, and the clinician can chart when the findings are in front of them.
The device plugs into a USB port and needs no additional software. The Dental R.A.T. 2.0 can be wireless or wired. It works with the periodontal charting and practice management software offices already use, including Dentrix, Eaglesoft, PracticeWorks, Softdent, PerioExec, Open Dental, and MacPractice. Because it is also a fully functional mouse, the clinician can open, close, and zoom in on digital X-rays and photographs during the visit, so the patient sees the same images the clinician is discussing.
Accurate Records Serve Patients Over Time
Full documentation at every appointment gives the practice an accurate perio chart, which supports proper billing for periodontal maintenance and can often be billed to insurance. It also provides a clear record of the patient's condition over time, which matters if questions about diagnosis or treatment ever arise. For the patient, the benefit is continuity of care. Every provider they see works from the same complete, accurate history.
See It in Your Own Operatory
Call 877-278-0061, Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm, to ask about a free demonstration of the Dental R.A.T. foot mouse and see how it supports perio charting without cross contamination in your practice.