Dental service organizations
Clinical leadership
The work of guiding clinical quality, training and standards for a dental team or across a group of practices, so that patient care stays consistent and sound.
Clinical leadership means guiding the quality of patient care and the people who deliver it. In a group it can include setting standards, reviewing quality, training clinicians and supporting clinical decisions. A published study describes leadership in dentistry as the ability to influence or change the behaviors of one or more persons.
In a larger organization a chief dental officer may hold this duty. In a small practice the owner dentist often does. The ADA's paper on clinical autonomy shows why clear roles matter when clinical and business goals meet.
There is no single legal definition. See also dental leadership for the wider idea. This entry gives a general definition.