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

This article focuses on applying Deming’s PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) cycle—a lean management tool originally developed in manufacturing—to standardize and improve the phased treatment of dental patients with multiple overlapping oral pathologies. The authors propose a structured, five-phase clinical approach (initial consultation, Phases 1A and 1B, Phases 2A and 2B, and Phase 3 maintenance) that integrates interdisciplinary therapies while continuously involving patient preferences and financial considerations. Reevaluations at each phase’s conclusion (the Check and Act steps) are emphasized as critical for assessing treatment outcomes and guiding subsequent phases, thereby enhancing treatment predictability and long-term prognosis. This managerial dentistry framework aims to bring order, efficiency, and transparency to complex dental care by treating underlying diseases rather than isolated lesions, with the patient’s health as the central focus.