An efficient interior design helps in the easy operational flow of work, ergonomics, infection control, the comfort of the patients and most importantly professional look. The aesthetic appearance of the dental clinic along with the easy flow of people and staff across different sections provide patient satisfactory services.

The dental clinic should have clearly defined areas such as doctors’ room, patient waiting area, support, and dirty zones. There should be proper flow from clean space to the dirty areas. The cleaning should be an easy process and the flooring should be seamless to avoid deposition of dirt and infection. The surface and flooring should be durable and allow easy disinfection.

In dental practice infection control is quite important. Control of infection should be controlled at the stage of construction itself as rectification at a later stage will be difficult. Room for performing surgeries and procedures should maintain the standard hygiene levels. 

In addition, an attractive reception area with beautiful design, waiting area with comfortable seating arrangement, pantry and toilets should complete a dental clinic design.

The HVAC system should be applied to the entire dental clinic. There should be positive pressure in the clean rooms such as dental room, waiting rooms, etc. and negative pressure in dirty rooms such as the toilet.

Better to avoid carpet and wooden flooring in dental clinics. The flooring should be wax free with a high coefficient of resistance to prevent fall. Vinyl flooring with the same skirting would allow easy cleaning and gives a good appearance as well.

The partitions should be seamless and smooth to facilitate disinfection of the surfaces with alcohol and bleaching solution. Try to avoid open shelves as it attracts dirt and infection. The drawers and shelf should be deep to allow the placement of trays. The internal surfaces of the drawers and shelves should be laminated to provide a smooth surface and efficient cleaning. 

The wash area preferably should include hand-free tap. The same washing basin should not be used for cleaning medical equipment and the patients. Medical grade taps and dispenser should be used.

Automatic closing doors are preferred, as doorknobs can act as a source of transmission of infection. Regular disinfection of the doorknobs is important. Foot control and hand-free sensor are a good option.

In dental practice, it is essential to have a central sterilization room as there will be regular instrument sterilization. Central sterilization room should be clearly marketed about receiving, cleaning and disinfection, packing, sterilization and storage until reused. The hygiene levels to be maintained in this area are very high, to prevent transmission of infection especially the hospital-acquired infections,

The diagnostic area will have an X-ray room and film processing area.

The surgical room should be the optimum size to allow easy flow of people. Occupational health and safety and infection control are of prime importance, the zones should be clearly marked. There should be one-meter space between the patients’ mouth and bench top to avoid spillage of the fluid.

Before the start of any start-up project or renovation, it is important to understand the objective. Is there any functional problem in the current situation or there is an expansion of business with added sections. Understanding the objective of recreation will give better outcomes. An effective practice design gives a better outcome for both patients and doctors. All the elements which are being incorporated in the design should have the clinical function, technology integration and allow overall proper functioning of the unit. Budget is the most important contributions as well as a restraining factor but a good interior design gives returns on investment. All the existing elements of the clinic should be efficiently used without giving any patchy look in the renovated design. Designing of a place will be collective efforts of the practicing professional staff and the interior designer. An interior designer knows how to efficiently design the place considering the requirements of the staff. A thorough study and analysis of the place should be performed and a draft design should be discussed with the doctors. An effective floor plan prevents wastage of the space and allows adequate space for each section of the clinic. Having a big doctor room will not be a good option, only adequate space is sufficient to prevent wastage of steps in the room either to the doctor table or examination chair. Space should not be tight as well which makes movement difficult and gives back brushes.

Lastly, the design should give an attractive professional look. Adding more of the casual elements may not be that appealing. Equip the clinic with the latest technologies. Latest equipment will give confidence to patients about proper diagnosis by the doctors. Install cameras for security and it also shows vigilance from the clinic management about the safety and efficiency of the flow of work.