In healthcare, accuracy has long been the baseline for diagnostics. But as outpatient care becomes faster, more data-driven and increasingly consumer-oriented, speed and usability are emerging as equally powerful differentiators. In dentistry, that shift is beginning to reshape how practices operate and grow.
Molecular diagnostics are bringing lab-grade insight into everyday dental workflows. ImpetusDX, an oral diagnostics platform developed in collaboration with Physicians Group Laboratories, is expanding access to PCR-based microbial testing beyond specialty settings and into routine hygiene visits. Designed around real-world dental operations, the platform combines comprehensive testing with predictable 24- to 48-hour turnaround times, allowing practices to integrate data-driven insight without disrupting clinical flow.
“Multiplex molecular testing allows clinicians to see a much broader microbial profile from a single sample,” says Rachel Alexander, technical product manager at Physicians Group Laboratories. “When results also include semi-quantitative context, providers can better understand organism burden and trajectory, which helps them make faster, more informed clinical decisions.”
That added context supports more confident treatment planning and follow-up. Molecular panels that detect antimicrobial resistance mechanisms can also provide early insight into drug-class limitations, helping clinicians avoid trial-and-error prescribing and move more quickly toward targeted care.
Behind the science, logistics play an equally important role. Faster turnaround fundamentally changes practice flow. When results arrive the next morning, clinicians can review findings before the day begins, allowing staff to reach out to patients early and reducing the need to manage lab reports during appointment-heavy days.
“At this point, accuracy is the expectation,” says Kelsey Smith, executive director of strategic initiatives at Physicians Group Laboratories. “What truly shapes patient care is how quickly and easily providers can access and act on that information.”
As diagnostics continue moving closer to the chair, the practices that gain an edge will be defined not just by accuracy, but by how effectively speed and simplicity translate insight into stronger operations and better care.
