A management system for the dental practice
(Zahnärztliches Praxis-Management System [Z-PMS])
The general schema adopted by the German Dental Association (BZÄK) has been further developed by many of the country’s Dental Chambers, which have implemented it in dental practices.




The Z-PMS system (the German initials stand for ”Dental Practice ManagementSyste,”) was developed as an instrument for quality management within dental practices.

1. What is the Z-PMS?
The Dental Practice Management System, or Z-PMS, is a quality management system specifically tailored for dental practices and having the following aims:
  • self-qualification of the dentist and his or her team;
  • resistance to external imposition of requirements;
  • advantages for the individual practice through practical aids to implementation, but without additional rules and regulations.

The Z-PMS does not provide for:
  • compulsory participation;
  • additional rules and requirements;
  • a requirement to observe industry standards.

2. Why a specific quality management system for dental practices?
For some years now government has been demanding the introduction of quality management systems for healthcare institutions. For practical and emotional reasons, existing QM systems such as ISO 9000 for medical and dental practices are viewed with scepticism by many dentists in Germany. A particular object of criticism is their high cost in terms not only of financial resources but also of administration and time. For this reason the Dental Chambers and the German Dental Association decided to develop a QM system of their own specifically designed for dental practices – namely, the ”Dental Practice Management System”, or Z-PMS.

3. The Z-PMS in a nutshell:
  • voluntary participation;
  • an entry level allowing as many practices as possible to join in;
  • ”help with self-help”;
  • a focus on practice organization and management and not on clinical processes, diagnosis and therapy;
  • support and facilitation of the introduction of the system by quality circles (competence circles) and continuing training.

4. The Z-PMS is a three-stage system comprising:
    1. Basic legal information and checklists, as well as explanatory notes to facilitate the application of this basic information.
    2. Aids for documenting a practice’s organizational procedures, also using checklists.
    3. Components of a comprehensive management system for the individual practice (practice master plan).
5. Implementation of the Z-PMS
Those involved in the development of the Z-PMS included not only the members of the German Dental Association’s Quality Assurance Committee but also, in particular, representatives of the regional Dental Chambers of Bremen, Hesse, North Rhine, Schleswig-Holstein and Westphalia-Lippe. The Z-PMS is being applied in the areas of a number of Chambers, sometimes accompanied by the provision of continuing training.