News for Dentists and DCPs

Dental nurses authorise practice purchasing

A recent survey conducted by the British Association for Dental Nurses (BADN) revealed that many dental nurses have the authority to make purchases for the dental practice and frequently use their own judgement to decide on the choice of products.

1500 dental nurses, both BADN members and non-members, participated in the online survey, which was sponsored by the BDTA.  It revealed that 37% of dental nurses have the authority to purchase consumables in the practice and as many as 29% have the authority to purchase equipment.  This may come as a surprise to some suppliers. 

The research also revealed that more than 50% of dental nurses are involved in the purchase process for both consumables and equipment whether it is authorising the purchase, making specific recommendations, making the final decision or passing on for final authorisation.

Tony Reed, Executive Director at the BDTA, said, “These are very interesting findings and further support the need for the industry to focus on the importance of the whole dental team.  As the results show, teamwork is essential to the efficient running of a dental practice and feedback from those who use specific products on a daily basis obviously has a huge impact on the decision-making process when making purchases.”