Objectives: The American Dental Association (ADA) conducts the Survey of Dental Practice annually. In 2004 the Survey collected information on types of equipment used in the dental office. The purpose of these data is descriptive; differences between groups of participants should not be assumed to be statistically significant unless identified as such.

Methods: Surveys were sent to a random sample of general practitioners (GPs) and specialists in private practice, regardless of membership in the ADA. Two follow-up mailings were sent to non-respondents and remaining non-respondents were contacted by phone. The final adjusted response rate was 44.4%. Dentists were classified by U.S. Census region for analysis.

Results: The survey collected information on 36 types of dental equipment in 2004, including handpieces, x-ray units, curing lights, and accessories for dental unit waterlines. Dentists were asked if any of the listed items were used in their dental practice in the past year (yes/no). For some types of equipment, answers varied by region. For example: panoramic x-ray units were reported by 84.1% of GPs in the East South Central region and only 40.4% of GPs in the Middle Atlantic region. Mechanical endodontic instrumentation was reported by 69.4% of GPs in the Mountain region and 44.9% of GPs in the West North Central region. Handpieces (high-speed autoclavable air with fiber optics) were reported by 78.7% of GPs in the Mountain region and 56.1% of GPs in the Middle Atlantic region.

Conclusion: General practitioners' use of different types of dental equipment varies by region across the United States. Regional variations are likely related to differences between regions such as economic strength; percent of population in urban, suburban, and rural settings; proximity of dental trade shows; and GP/specialist ratios. Future Surveys of Dental Practice will continue to track usage of equipment types.

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