CDA Essentials 2018 • Volume 5 • Issue 7

24 | 2018 | Issue 7 N ews and E vents half of respondents offered in-house financing, (while 15% used third party financing) to attract patients. Financial concerns are also reflected in dentists’ practice management CE activities. The highest rated practice management topics for 2018 involve building the business of the practice (e.g., leadership team development; revenue enhancement/expense management; fraud protection; and communication/ case presentation). For the first time, social media was mentioned by over 50% of respondents as one of the most popular tools to grow a practice, trending rapidly upward from just 13% in 2012. This movement to online promotion mirrors where dental patients tell practitioners they are getting their information about dental treatment options. According to the survey, the Internet achieved an all-time high rating and was ranked as the top patient source for the third straight year. This was followed by more traditional sources such as “family members, friends, etc.” and “dentist/dental team presentations.” a Over 400 practising Canadian dentists responded to this year’s survey with good proportional distribution across all regions of the country. Based on this response rate, overall 2018 survey results have an accuracy of +/- 4.7% 19 times out of 20. Dentists who participated in the 2018 DIAC Future of Dentistry Survey were eligible to win a Grand Prize of a $5000 travel voucher. Dr. Gerald Trager of Côte St-Luc, Quebec, was this year’s Grand Prize Winner. Three dentists were winners of a $500 runner-up prize. Dr. Chris Clarke (Ottawa, ON), Dr. Steven Deneka (Cornwall, ON), Dr. Maureen Thurrott (Lutes Mountain, MB). Ten dentists were winners of a $100 travel voucher. Dr. Paul McNab (Summerside, PEI), Dr. Daniel Isakow (Toronto, ON), Dr. Min Li (Victoria, BC), Dr. Gerry Sokalsky (Toronto, ON), Dr. Jocelyne Hodgson (Saskatoon, SK), Dr. William Hettenhausen (Thunder Bay, ON), Dr. George Maniatakos (Montreal, QC), Dr. Robert Fryer (Blind River, ON), Dr. Norman Falk (Waterloo, ON), Dr. Heather Carr (Fletchers Lake, NS). 2018 DIAC Survey Contest Winners The main advantages attracting dentists to a multi-practice structure were “associate support” (57%), “buying power” (20%) and “better hours for patients” (12%).