Portable Space and Interior Design for Dentists

• Main Author: Liu, Yu-Ping
• Format: Others
• Published: VCU Scholars Compass 2007
• Subjects: mobile dentist; portable office; interior design; dental; dentist; tooth decay; Art and Design; Arts and Humanities
• Online Access: http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/1152; http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2151&context=etd

In the United State today, many people do not have access to adequate dental treatment, while tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease-five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever. At the same time, studies show that 80% of dental illness takes place in 25% of the population, which is comprised mostly of lower socioeconomic groups. A study undertaken by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2000, concludes that poor children suffer five times as much tooth decay as their more affluent peers. Furthermore, in poor children with tooth decay, almost 80% remain untreated. Poor dental health there-fore is a major health concern for under privileged families.The goal of this project is to enhance and facilitate the delivery of better dental treatment by designing a new prototype for a portable dental office that will be more flexible and more usable in a variety of situations and locations. For the purpose of this study, this prototype will be considered or tested within the context of three different types of spaces: the single closed room; a large open public space; and within mobile and nonpermanent structures such as tents. Several aspects of working conditions specific to the dental office will be taken into account when developing this design including transportability, degree of flexibility, storability, hygiene, and the creation of a relaxing atmosphere all of which greatly impact both the dentists and patients experience and are essential to the creation of a successful portable dental office.