Dr. Sami Bahri, founder and director of First Lean Dentist, Inc. and co-owner of Bahri Dental Group, is a practicing dentist, management consultant and public speaker who successfully applies Lean management theories to his own dental clinic. Recognized by the Shingo Prize committee as the "World's First Lean Dentist," he continues to develop the efficient practices he discovers through his Lean journey with a focus on his True North, one-patient flow.
Bahri Dental Group is a private dental practice in Jacksonville, Florida with three general dentists, one orthodontist, 10 chairs for general dentistry, and seven chairs for orthodontics.
Dr. Bahri was born in Lebanon where he received his dental degree from the Saint Joseph Jesuit Dental School in 1977. He then spent three years at the University of Paris, France, specializing in Dental Prosthodontics. In 1980 he returned to Lebanon where he opened his first dental practice and began teaching dentistry.
In 1984, the Lebanese University appointed Dr. Bahri to create and then become the first director of a dental school within the university.
In 1990, after ten years of intense work in the teaching, administrative and private practice fields, Dr Bahri moved to Jacksonville, Florida. In the same year he opened his first Jacksonville practice with two dental chairs. He studied dental management and applied it in his practice.
Eager to know how other industries manage their resources to satisfy their customers, he started searching outside dentistry, in the mainstream where many management experts are continuously trying to improve the way things are done. He studied most management systems available to the public and tried them in his practice; systems like Total Quality Management, Six Sigma and Lean Management—to mention the most important ones.
In 1998 Bahri Dental Group moved to a new, larger facility.
In 1996, Dr. Bahri read "Lean Thinking” by James Womack and Daniel Jones, and started implementing Lean Management principles in his dental office. He is the first dentist known to utilize Lean Management techniques to continuously improve the delivery of quality dental care. Dr. Bahri has been called “The Leanest Dentist on the Planet.” This implementation has benefited patients, employees, dental laboratories and suppliers. In 2006, Bahri Dental Group provided the same amount of dental treatments as 2005, but needed 40 percent less resources, thanks to the application of “Lean Dental Management.”
In March of 2007, Dr Bahri was invited to present his work as a keynote speaker at the “Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing” where he was recognized as the “World's First Lean Dentist”.
In March of 2009, Dr Bahri wrote Follow the Learner: The Role of a Leader in Creating a Lean Culture, published by the Lean Enterprise Institute. He lectures both nationally and internationally to share his experience on implementing lean management in the dental practice.
In March of 2011, Dr. Bahri was awarded the Shingo Reseach and Professional Publication Award for his book Follow the Learner.