DAMAS – SO MUCH MORE THAN A PIECE OF PAPER OR A TICK BOX EXERCISE – MATT EVERATT, EDITOR & TECHNICAL DIRECTOR S4S (UK) LIMITED Leave a comment
DAMAS is the ‘Dental Appliance Manufacturers Audit Scheme’. It is a quality management system designed specifically for the manufacturers of custom made dental appliances.
The DAMAS quality management system is so much more than just a certificate that hangs on a wall to appease our corporate customers. I have read several comments online of lab owners and technicians that reluctantly sign up to become a DAMAS registered laboratory and suggest that it is merely a ‘tick box exercise’ to please their corporate customers. In my experience this could not be further from the truth.
In 2005, I entered the commercial world to form what now is known as S4S Dental Laboratory. Our vision was to provide top quality devices, by top quality technicians, to the highest standards, in the best surroundings. From the outset we implemented a Quality Management System and later applied to become ISO9001 certified. ISO9001 is an internationally recognised and certified quality management system for organisations who wish to prove their ability to consistently provide products and services to meet to requirements of international standards.
After several years being ISO certified we took the decision to become DAMAS registered, this coincided with several Dental Body Corporates (DBCs) asking for approved labs to be DAMAS registered. The conversion from ISO to DAMAS was relatively easy, in fact, it improved our Quality Management System as it was specifically geared up around dental appliance manufacturing and tied in nicely with MHRA and MDR.
Our systems helped us streamline our business and improve efficiencies whilst providing consistent quality work and services. Being DAMAS registered is so much more than just having a piece of paper to show the DBCs. For me, the best thing about our systems is traceability. From the minute a case arrives the process starts and follows a quality process from the minute it enters the building.
It eradicates words or terms like, ‘We usually do it this way’ or ‘Sometimes we do it that way’ and ‘I think we handle cases like this’. It adds certainty throughout the whole process. Everyone knows how a case is booked in, they know the process for turnaround times, how it is packed and shipped. On the manufacturing side of things, we have 100% traceability with materials. We have a purchase order process that is efficient and enables us to maintain good stock levels and purchase from approved suppliers. Each case can only be manufactured by a technician that has proven skills to do the appropriate case. This has been integrated in to our Laboratory Management software too, making it run like clockwork.
We continually look to improve our QMS and we don’t leave it until the annual audit date. We are very proactive and undertake pre-audits of our DAMAS system. This then means if anything is raised at the annual audit by the DAMAS representative, it is a genuine oversight and leads to further improvements.
If you don’t have DAMAS registration, I can honestly say that you should consider it. It should not be seen as a tick box exercise nor should be seen as a piece of paper for that the corporates require. See it as an opportunity to systemise and add a degree of order to your processes. I see it as ‘working smarter not harder’.
