Surgery Fit-Out Series: Dental Chairs

At Eclipse Dental the surgery is the most requested design and refurbishment space we receive, and as the heart of the dental practice the environment needs to reduce anxiety for patients undergoing treatment, as well as providing pleasant and operationally effective working conditions, complying with regulations and be easy to clean.

The design of the surgery should incorporate some very important aspects to achieve a harmonious balance of personal preference, aesthetics and functionality.

This series of videos will examine the main areas of consideration in more detail and suggest possible options. The last video discussed surgery layouts which would be influenced by the choice of dental chair and delivery system, so let’s take a look at the possibilities.

There is a wide variety of treatment centres available which can be chosen depending on the dentists’ preference, space in the surgery, budget or the type and number of instruments used by the dentist.

The two main styles of delivery unit are the chair mounted style or the mobile cart.

Units can also be attached to cabinetry or a wall, although these will affect the layout of floor cabinetry as they will often need a place to reside when not in use.

A special needs surgery will require a Bariatric chair and some dentists opt for a high patient weight chair. These have the benefit of a folding leg rest for easy access to elderly or disabled patients and facilitates treatments where a frontal view of the face is required.

The Marlowes Health and Wellbeing Centre in Hemel Hempstead required a hoist and quick release outlets for a mobile cart on both sides of the surgery.

And with the case of Newham NHS Primary Care Trust we found that the surgery didn’t offer the space required to work ergonomically with more than one position, so a 3 in 1 concept was developed as a solution. This included a stand-alone chair on a mobile base that could be safely moved out of the working position and the introduction of a mobile wheelchair recliner.

The dental chair will need services, especially if the delivery unit is attached. These can be laid under the flooring, or a channel will have to be carved into the concrete floor if this is needed.

Mobile carts and wall / ceiling mounted delivery units can be utilised if under floor services are not possible, or even a ceiling pendant with medical air, suction, oxygen and power outlets like the one we fitted for the Royal Surrey Hospital.

Our in-house team of designers and engineers know exactly what is needed to make surgery spaces operationally effective and efficient, as well as creating highly rated patient experiences. There are many ways this can be done, depending on space within the room and the construction of the building.

The next video in this series will cover lighting within the surgery as well as colour and decorating. I will show the major difference optimum lighting can have on a surgery and how this will improve the working environment and patient experience.

Contact us to discuss any of the areas covered in this article.