Current update on portable dental equipment

The dental care needs of the elderly are increasing as their population grows. For some of the elderly (eg, the nonambulatory, homebound, institutionalized), accessing dental care is a problem because they are unable to visit a traditional dental clinic. In the past, dental care has been taken to the homebound or institutionalized elderly by dentists using portable dental equipment. However, the perception that such equipment is difficult or impossible to obtain has limited the availability of on-site care. The purpose of this article is to describe various types of portable dental equipment and their features so that dentists interested in providing care to this group of patients are aware of them.