Visiting Dental Care Ihana Group Implements "Organization That Doesn't Take Decisions Home" with Constant Google Meet Connection

Ihana Visiting Dental Care Group (Representative: Shunta Miwa, hereinafter Ihana) has been piloting a "constant connection type dental care support system" since 2025, where dental staff maintain a constant Google Meet connection during working hours.

A self-assessment survey (14 items, 10-point scale, pilot study) conducted on 9 staff members showed changes in communication, quality of care, and operational efficiency. For example, the score for the burden of contacting multiple professions decreased from an average of 8.3 points to 1.5 points, and the sense of team connection and security increased from 4.0 points to 8.0 points. On June 12, 2026, Representative Shunta Miwa presented these results at the 37th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Gerodontology.

The Challenge of "Taking Decisions Home" in Visiting Dental Care

Visiting dental care faces structural challenges due to its operational characteristics, where dentists, dental hygienists, and dental administrative staff are dispersed at patient homes or facilities:

- "Taking decisions home" becomes the norm: Staff cannot consult on-site when they are unsure. - Fragmentation of information: Handover reports compiled after returning to the clinic lead to time lags and omissions. - Isolation of on-site staff: Anxiety from "handling things alone" affects the quality of care.

Traditional communication methods like phone calls and chats placed a significant burden on contacting staff when their hands were occupied during treatment, making immediate consultation with senior doctors and prompt responses to facilities or families difficult.

Dental Care Support System with Constant Google Meet Connection

Ihana has established an "integrated dental care system" where dentists, dental hygienists, and dental administrative staff keep Google Meet constantly on (video and audio), integrating the field and back office.

- Dental administrative staff record spoken content in real-time (medical records, reports). - Immediate consultation with senior doctors and dental technicians becomes possible. - Administrative staff provide immediate responses to facilities and families. - Staff can provide care with a sense of "not being alone."

This initiative is positioned not merely as an efficiency improvement, but as a redesign of the decision-making structure itself: "Who makes decisions, when, and with what information."

Representative Shunta Miwa presenting a poster at the 37th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Gerodontology on June 12, 2026.

On June 12, 2026, the results were presented as a poster presentation at the 37th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Gerodontology.

In visiting dental care, the structure where staff make decisions alone and bear the burden alone has long been considered normal. We believe that changing this structure itself is crucial for maintaining the quality of medical care. We aim to first demonstrate this in our own practice and then establish it as a standard for visiting medical care as a whole.

Overview of Internal Survey

Target

9 Ihana Group staff members (dentist, dental hygienist, dental administrative staff)

Method

Self-assessment survey (14 items, 10-point scale)

Period

Before and after pilot implementation (2025-2026, surveyed by Ihana Group)

Nature

Pilot trial at the trial implementation stage. *Does not involve statistical verification.

*Note: This survey is a pilot study during the trial implementation phase targeting 9 staff members. Each score is the average value from a self-assessment survey (10-point scale) and does not involve statistical verification. Individual differences exist, and it is not guaranteed that similar changes occurred among all staff.

◆ Main Results (Excerpts)

Question

Before Implementation

After Implementation

Change

Q1 Contacting multiple professions (burden)

8.3 points

1.5 points

▼ 82% decrease

Q2 Ability to contact the right person immediately

1.7 points

8.8 points

▲ 411% increase

Q7 Anxiety about omissions in communication

7.0 points

3.4 points

▼ 52% decrease

Q10 Anxiety about handling cases alone during visits

6.1 points

2.7 points

▼ 56% decrease

Q11 Sense of connection and security

4.0 points

8.0 points

▲ 102% increase

Q14 Smoothness of overall dental care

4.7 points

7.8 points

▲ 65% increase

* Scores are average self-assessments on a 10-point scale. Lower scores for burden/anxiety indicate improvement; higher scores for satisfaction/efficiency indicate improvement. Percentage changes are for reference.

◆ Graphs: Changes in Burden and Anxiety (Before and After Implementation)

◆ Graphs: Changes in Satisfaction and Efficiency (Before and After Implementation)

These results suggest that constant connection not only improves communication but also impacts the sense of security and the quality of decision-making in the dental care setting.

Future Outlook

Ihana aims to further enhance team medical care and interdisciplinary collaboration, establishing "medical care without individual decision-making" as the standard for visiting dental care. This initiative is intended to serve as a model for addressing communication and decision-making challenges not only in visiting dental care but also in home care services such as visiting nursing and home-help services, where staff are dispersed.

The DX we aim for is not to reduce human contact. Rather, it is to strengthen human connections by creating an environment where people can support and consult with each other even when they are physically apart. We are committed to realizing medical care that values analog trust and dialogue while leveraging the power of digital technology.

We are accepting inquiries from dental clinics, medical clinics, visiting nursing stations, and home-help stations facing similar challenges. All inquiries and applications are accepted via LINE. Please feel free to contact us.

<Related Book: Systematizing Clinical Knowledge in Visiting Dental Care>

Around the same time, Representative Shunta Miwa published a co-authored book that systematizes practical knowledge in visiting dental care prosthodontics. It covers know-how useful in visiting dental care settings, from fitting evaluation of dentures to management of eating and swallowing difficulties, and "graduation" from dentures.

"Practical! Prosthodontic Treatment in Visiting Dental Care ~The Best Possible Dentures Until the Very End~"

By Shunta Miwa, Ken Ishida, Kenichi Matsuda

Ishiyaku Publishers / Published June 2026 / A4 size, 152 pages, color

Price: 9,900 yen (tax included)

ISBN978-4-263-46194-5

<About Ihana Visiting Dental Care>

Through the practice of visiting dental care, Ihana Visiting Dental Care aims to improve the quality of regional medical care and build a sustainable delivery system. We are working to build a dental care model that balances "quality of care" and "sustainability" by establishing a DX foundation that supports data sharing, operational efficiency, and interdisciplinary collaboration in clinical settings.

Operating Company: Foodie Inc. ■ Brand Name: Ihana Visiting Dental Care Group ■ Representative: COO Shunta Miwa (Director and Dentist, Keishinkai Medical Corporation) ■ Business Activities: Seminar business, support for dental clinic management, education and recruitment support for dental professionals ■ Location: Ihana Visiting Dental Care Group Headquarters (876-2 Enjoji, Kasamatsu-cho, Gifu 501-6035 Ihanä 101) ■ URL: https://www.ihana-group.com/