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Clock positions

Also called: operating positions, clock concept

Positions around the patient described like the face of a clock.

Picture a clock lying flat with the patient's head at its center and the top of the head at 12 o'clock. The patient's feet point to 6. Team members describe where they sit by the hour: in four-handed dentistry with a right-handed operator, the operator works from about 7 to 12 o'clock and the assistant sits at about 2 to 4 o'clock.

What it is used for

When someone says 'move to 9 o'clock,' they mean beside the patient's right side, where a right-handed operator often sits.

Operator's zone
Assistant's zone
Transfer zone
Static (set-up) zone

Sources: Dentalcare.com (Procter & Gamble) CE643: Four-Handed Dentistry (Basic Tenets; Zones of Activity; Instrument Transfer), Gehrig JS, Shin DE. Fundamentals of Periodontal Instrumentation and Advanced Root Instrumentation, 9th ed. Jones & Bartlett, 2023 (plus Newman & Carranza's Clinical Periodontology)

What it is used for

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