The DHSS' Community Dental Service has invested in a mobile dental platform which will make treating patients with disabilities much easier and safer for dental staff and patients alike.

Previously, patients in wheelchairs requiring dental treatment either had to be lifted into the dental chair, which puts the patient and the dental staff at risk, or else be treated in their chair, which prevents the dentist from getting full access to the patient’s mouth.

The new Diaco dental chair, which is specifically designed for wheelchair patients, allows the patient to remain in their own wheelchair at all times, eliminating manual handling and hoisting, whilst enabling the optimal angle for dental care treatment for both patient and clinical team.

Senior Dentist in Special Care Dentistry, Beverley McClung, said, "We are delighted that we can now treat wheelchair patients more efficiently and effectively, reducing stress and risk to patients and staff."

The Diaco - the first of its kind on the Island - will accept all mass manufactured electric and manual wheelchairs allowing access for all types of disabilities regardless of weight or size.

The Community Dental Service provides dental care for children and specific groups of adult patients, including those with Learning Difficulties and phobic patients.  It has several clinics across the Island, and employs 5 dentists.

Pictured: Senior Dentist Beverley McClung and Dental Nurse Nikki Craig with Natasha Moore, 8, demo-ing the new Diaco System, and David Vandyke from Diaco. Photograph courtesy of Isle of Man Newspapers.