What usually goes wrong
- Patients can hear the next room.
- Dental equipment noise causes anxiety.
- The waiting room is loud.
The main noise sources are voices and equipment. Sound bounces off hard walls, floors and ceilings, so it lingers and builds up. Absorbing panels soak up those reflections.
Where the panels go
- One wall panel per exam room.
- Ceiling tiles over the waiting room.
- Panels behind the reception desk.
Mistakes to avoid
- Relying on panels for privacy when the wall stops at the ceiling grid.
- Unwipeable fabric in treatment rooms.
Fire rating and codes
Business occupancy for most clinics; healthcare privacy rules make speech privacy a design goal.
Blocking sound between rooms
Panels make a room sound better, but they don’t stop sound passing through a wall. For that you need a wall assembly rated around STC 45, to keep exam room conversations private. Read about STC ratings and soundproofing.
Recommended
Panels that suit exam rooms
Learning center
14 guides for exam rooms
Acoustic panels for exam rooms: the complete guideWhat makes exam rooms noisy, which panels fix it, and how to plan treatment from start to finish.How many acoustic panels does a medical and dental clinic need?A worked Sabine calculation for a typical exam room, with panel counts for small, typical and large rooms.Where to put acoustic panels in a medical and dental clinicWhere panels do the most good in exam rooms, in priority order.Wall acoustics for exam roomsHow walls behave acoustically in exam rooms and how to treat them with panels.Ceiling acoustics for exam roomsClouds, baffles and ceiling tiles for exam rooms, and how much of the ceiling to cover.Choosing panel thickness for a medical and dental clinic1, 2 or 4 inches: which thickness suits exam rooms and why.Reverberation time targets for exam roomsThe reverberation time to aim for in exam rooms, and why it matters.What acoustic treatment costs for a medical and dental clinicBudget estimates for treating a typical exam room, and where the money goes.Fabrics, colors and shapes for exam roomsFabric types, colors and shapes that work in exam rooms.Fire ratings and code requirements for panels in exam roomsFire ratings, occupancy rules and mounting requirements for panels in exam rooms.Installing acoustic panels in a medical and dental clinicTools, hardware and step-by-step installation for panels in exam rooms.Common acoustic mistakes in exam roomsThe errors we see most often in exam rooms, and how to avoid them.Soundproofing and STC ratings for exam roomsWhen exam rooms need soundproofing, which STC rating to aim for, and how to get there.Medical and dental clinic acoustics checklist and FAQA one-page checklist and answers to common questions about exam room acoustics.