Facility size can be thought of in terms of dental chairs (operatories), square footage, or staffing. Ideally, decisions about facility size are made with regard to the target population. In reality, however, the available resources (space and funding) often determine the size of the clinic and staffing patterns. Whether you project forward from the size of the population or in reverse from the available resources, the Dental Clinic Comparison Chart at the beginning of this unit should help you. Make sure to always keep future expansion in mind.
The following recommendations for clinic floor space for some of the most common clinic configurations come from the Indian Health Service (IHS). However, all plans should always keep Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations in mind.
Type of Space | Square feet (sq. ft.) |
Fixed Operatories (usually 10 ft. wide X 11 ft. long) | 110 sq. ft. per operatory |
Panoramic X-ray | 30 sq. ft. |
Clean-up Alcove (2 to 3 operatory clinic) | 90 sq. ft. |
Clean-up Alcove (4 to 8 operatory clinic) | 100 sq. ft. |
Clean-up Alcove (9 to 12 operatory clinic) | 150 sq. ft. |
Laboratory (2 to 3 operatory clinic) | 60 sq. ft. |
Laboratory (4 to 8 operatory clinic) | 80 sq. ft. |
Laboratory (9 to 12 operatory clinic) | 120 sq. ft. |
Darkroom (2 to 8 operatory clinic, one automatic developer) | 60 sq. ft. |
Darkroom (9 to 16 operatory clinic, two automatic developers) | 90 sq. ft. |
Unit Supply Area (2 to 3 operatory clinic) | 40 sq. ft. |
Unit Supply Area (4 to 8 operatory clinic) | 80 sq. ft. |
Unit Supply Area (9 to 12 operatory clinic) | 120 sq. ft. |
Reception Area (1 to 4 operatory clinic) | 100 sq. ft. |
Reception Area (5 to 8 operatory clinic) | 120 sq. ft. |
Reception Area (9 to 16 operatory clinic) | 240 sq. ft. |
Dental Director's Office | 120 sq. ft. |
Dental Office Manager's or Dental Assistant Supervisor's Office | 100 sq. ft. |
Non-Supervisory Dentist's Office (add 40 sq. ft. for each additional dentist) | 80 sq. ft. |
Restroom | 50-75 sq. ft. |
Waiting Area (1 to 4 operatory clinic) | 120 sq. ft. |
Waiting Area (5 to 7 operatory clinic) | 180 sq. ft. |
Waiting Area (8 to 13 operatory clinic) | 240 sq. ft. |
Janitorial Closet | 40 sq. ft. |
*Use the following conversion factor to express in square meters, as required by the federal government for its construction projects: 10.76 square feet = 1 square meter.