SMILE Your personal dental wellness progamme

SMILE is a dental wellness program from DENIS (Dental Information Systems), with a unique approach. The core of the program is patient education, but with a unique twist of targeting appropriate information to patients when they need it most. Clinical education information is backed up with the relevant dental health products, which reinforces the desired goal prevention awareness and informed consent to dental procedures.
This program was researched and designed by South African dentists and commissioned by DENIS. It also has the approval of the dental profession in general via the South African Dental Association. Denis is linked to a number of select medical schemes.

THE WELLNESS AND EDUCATION PROGRAM
SMILE provides the medical scheme member with tangible benefits to being on the scheme other than just the payment of claims. It will help changing the focus of the scheme from damage control (i.e. paying for the sick) to helping the healthy to remain so.
The positive emotion generated by the word SMILE and images of dental health and relevant treatment information is combined with material benefits and rewards. The package is associated directly with the medical scheme and is perceived as a material benefit to the medical scheme.
SMILE will target scheme members using a range of clinical "triggers". The member will receive appropriate clinical information and relevant products from time to time. The products received by members are appropriate for the clinical situation and are always health related.
Members are also rewarded for the appropriate dental behaviour and for significant events in their families lives such as the birth of a baby.

BENEFITS TO THE MEDICAL SCHEME
* Reduce over-servicing of patients by empowering the patient through education and informed consent.
* Treatment responsibility is shifted to where it belongs - the dentist/patient unit.
* Create a more trusting relationship between Service Providers & Funders.
* The medical scheme will be seen as being interested in the members health.
* Informed decisions by members would result in improved benefit management.
* Focus would fall on preventative procedures, resulting in a reduction of major treatment.
* Over-use of theatre for dental procedures would decline.
* Enhances other wellness programmes.
Medical schemes benefit through well-managed and appropriately allocated funding.

GOOD NEWS FOR DENTISTS
The SMILE program was introduced by Denis to bring dentists and patients together. In addition dentists enjoy greater visibility through the SMILE program, thereby putting them on the map. Firstly, joining the SMILE program is free to all SADA registered general dental practitioners. Secondly, dentists get great exposure through a substantial nationwide print advertising and promotions campaign. Each free consultation could bring a new family to the practice. Identifying with the SMILE program is one sure way for dentists to boost their visibility and credibility in the community.

SMILE IF YOURE A HEALTH CARE FUNDER!
When patients and dentists talk the same language, health care funders can SMILE too. Members can now become empowered to make more appropriate choices by being better informed, thanks to SMILE. This means they give their informed consent for the dentist to continue with a particular procedure. That in turn leads to a reduction in unscrupulous over-servicing and over-billing of patients, and better management of medical benefits.
The good news is that the focus falls on preventative dental procedures, which means a reduction in major (and expensive) treatment. Even the over-use of operating theatres for dental procedures would decline. The advent of the SMILE program creates a more trusting relationship between service providers and funders, and the medical plan is regarded as being interested in the health of its members.

The improved SMILE programme
The new SMILE Program will take effect in January 2007 and include the following innovative add-ons:
* SMILE E-Cards
* Increased Knowledge Base of oral health related articles for specific age categories (infants, teenagers, adults )
* New SMILE website
* Age related products packs
* Even more exciting Wellness Days

Denis is Africa's leading Dental Funder, providing sustainable dental benefits and insurance to the advantage of their members and beneficiaries.