GB2115200A - Dental practice means - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to means for enabling dental students to practice dentistry techniques. In the described embodiment, the means comprises an elongate console (1) having a number of student stations disposed along its length, along both of its sides. Each station is equipped with a model human head (6) having an oral cavity (7), dental equipment e.g. (12, 16), and a chair (18) pivotable about a generally vertical axis coincident with the oral cavity (7). At each longitudinal end of the console (1) is a raised platform (2) on which a chair (3) for an instructor is mounted. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Dental practice means The present invention relates to dental practice means for enabling dental students or apprentices to practice or learn dental treatments or techniques.

Hitherto use has been made of dental practice means in the field of dental education, for example means wherein a single practice chair is prepared specially for a dental student apprentice, which chair is provided at one side thereof with a model of a human head, and on both sides with syringes, a vacuum pump, handpieces and other necessary instruments.

According to the above-mentioned dental education system, a number of dental practice means must be positioned in rows spread over a large area. This possesses the disadvantage that, when a large number of dental student apprentices are instructed at the same time, an instructor is unable to confirm as to exactly how the apprentices are operating in accordance with his instructions. Furthermore, some of the apprentices remote from the instructor may not be able to hear the instructor properly, and therefore may not properly be able to follow his instructions.

In order to eliminate the foregoing disadvantages, it has been proposed to position the dental practice means opposite one another so that all the means may be disposed in a straight line. However, with the above-mentioned oppositely positioned means, an instructor cannot be seated on a chair in a fixed position, since he would be unable to check each apprentice's way of holding an instrument, the motion of his hands, and his operating posture. The result is that the instructor fails to communicate his own wishes to the apprentices.

It is an object of the present invention to effectively eliminate or reduce the above-mentioned drawbacks and disadvantages.

According to the present invention, there is provided a dental practice means which can be placed opposite to a counterpart means in a generally straight line, with platforms for instructors provided in the foremost ends lengthwise of said means, chairs being provided for the instructors on said platforms whereby, for example, two instructors sitting on the chairs positioned higher than their dental student apprentices are able effectively to communicate vocally with the latter. Moreover, according to this system, the instructors can minutely observe how the apprentices are operating their hands, how they hold dental instruments and how they are using the same.

Thus the dental student apprentices are also able to learn exactly how to carry out dental treatment in a relatively short length of time.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a dental practice means wherein an opening is formed at the side of a cabinet on a supporting base having a model of a man's head thereby partially forming a space for placing dentistry articles such as a kneading plate member. Thus, said space can be used effectively by dental practice apprentices when, for example, they knead a filling material for rigidly fixing a crown, and when mixing medicines for protecting dental pulp.

Furthermore, the arrangement may be such that the apprentices' arms and hands are prevented from moving to an extreme, whereby their operating point is limited excessively so as to encourage the apprentices to carry out an exact dental treatment in a stable seated posture.

The dental practice means may be constructed so as to have an upper portion which is pitched, for example of generally conical cross-section, so that no object can be placed thereon, encouraging the dental practice apprentices to develop the habit of aways placing instruments in fixed positions. Along the highest line or ridge of said conical section upper portion there may be substantially T shape light-supporting members so that the two opposed model heads of each of a number of longitudinally distributed pairs of models are uniformly illuminated by a single light. By this arrangement, instructors are able to observe the operating manner of their dental student apprentices with their field of vision being intercepted.

The dental practice means embodying the invention may have a special rotary or swivel chair for each apprentice, which can rotate within a fixed range, with its rotational centre located in a substantially vertical relation with respect to an oral cavity of each model head, whereby the dental student apprentices are naturally able to develop the habit of moving relative to the oral cavity of each patient in practical dental treatment.

Each rotary or swivel chair may have a seating posture guide member such as a pole provided laterally in the middle portion of a back seat plate of the chair, so adapted that when a dental apprentice seated on the chair straightens the line of his or her backbone, the guide pole comes into contact with the backbone of the apprentice to its uppermost portion. Thus if the apprentices do not feel their backbones touching the posture guide poles, they will appreciate that their seating posture is not right. By so learning, physically, their seating posture on the chairs, the apprentices can develop the habit of operating in a correct seated posture for a long period of time.

In order that the present invention may be more readily understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view showing, as a whole, a dental practice means embodying the invention; Figure 2 is a partial and enlarged perspective view of the dental practice means of Fig.

1; Figure 3 is a partial, enlarged, cutaway plan view of the dental practice means of Fig. 1; and Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the apprentice's chairs forming part of the dental practice means of Figs. 2 to 4.

In the accompanying drawings, numeral 1 generally designates the dental practice means 1, which includes an elongate main body, cabinet or console. Said means 1 further includes opposed pairs of dental practice chairs 1 8, the two chairs of each pair being disposed on opposite sides of the main body, and being inter-connected in a straight line generally transverse to the longitudinal direction of the main body, and the pairs of opposed chairs being spaced apart along the length of the main body, as will be apparent from Fig. 3. Said main body of the dental practice means 1 is provided in or at both longitudinal ends thereof with platforms 2, 2a for instructors, which platforms are positioned above the level of the main floor. On said platforms 2, 2a there are rigidly fixed rotary or swivel chairs 3, 3a for the instructors.On the upper part 5 of the dental practice means above said platforms 2, 2a, there are mounted semi-circular tables 4, 4a.

The longitudinal central portion of the upper part 5 of said dental practice means 1 is raised to form a ridge 5a from which said part 5 is inclined downwardly towards its opposite sides or ends as viewed in cross-section, thereby to form an equilateral triangle. Along both sides of said upper part 5 are placed, at equally spaced apart intervals, a plurality of opposed models 6 of human heads, for example models of adult male heads.

On the ridge 5a of said upper part 5 are provided a number of light-supporting members 8 corresponding to the number of pairs of said model heads 6. The uppermost portion of each light-supporting member 8 is divided into two light-supporting elements 8a extending in opposite directions transversely of the main body, with a light 9 mounted at the outer end of each element 8a.

Inasmuch as said light-supporting members 8 are provided along the highest line or ridge of the upper part 5 of the dental practice means 1 as mentioned above, instructors are able to observe their dental practice apprentices in the field of their vision. Moreover, by this arrangement, the two opposed model heads 6 of each pair can be uniformly illuminated by means of a single light-supporting member 8.

Each model head 6 is supported in vertically movable and fixable relation within a fixed range of movement on the middle portion of a support 11 by means of a pole, bar or the like, which support 11 has a horizontal upper surface projecting arcuately from both sides of an upper vertical wall 10 of said dental practice means 1. At the left hand side of said support 11 there is received a vacuum pump 1 2 which can be withdrawn from the support, while at the right hand side are mounted handpieces 13, 14 as shown in Fig.

2. The hand pieces may, for example, serve to receive drilling, grinding and/or buffing elements, and one of the handpieces may be adapted for high speed operation and the other for lower speed operation.

At the right hand side of each model head 6 is provided a container 1 5 having a door, and an upper shelf 15a which is adapted for placing, or intended to receive, a dental tray 1 6. The tray has an edge to which there is fixed a handpiece-retaining means 1 7 formed with a notch on the upper portion and the under portion thereof. Said handpiece-retaining means 1 7 is adapted to permit said handpieces 13, 1 4 to be releasably supported thereby, for example to be insertable therein.

At the side of said container 1 5 above said support 11, an inwardly extending space S is formed by cutting said vertical wall 10, so as to provide a place for receiving a kneading plate 1 7 whereon a filling material or medicines for protecting the dental pulp can be kneaded. In each position corresponding to said model heads 6 there is suitably positioned a chair 1 8 for a dental practice. The rotational center P of each chair 1 8 is pivotally supported in a position which is vertically below the associated model head 6.Said chair 1 8 has a seat plate 19, the lower supporting pole 21 of which is provided with an adjusting lever 22 which is vertically movable so as to vertically move the seat plate 1 9 subject to the length of legs of a dental student apprentice seated thereon.

From the middle of the back of the seat portion of said seat plate 1 9 there is erected a guide member or pole 23 adapted to guide a seated apprentice so as to keep him in a correct seated posture. Further, the apprentice's chair 1 8 has a generally T shape base including a connecting leg member in the form of a bar or pole 24 which is bored with a plurality of holes 26 at suitably spaced intervals. A selected one the holes 26 receives a bolt 25 so as to permit a seated apprentice to adjustably fix the spacing of the chair with respect to the pivot point P below the oral cavity of the model head in a position which suits his legs. In this position, the bolt 25, after being inserted into the appropriate hole 26, is fixed by screwing it in a screw-threaded hole 28 formed in a boss on a base 27, pivotally mounted on the pivot point defined by the opening, boss or the equivalent 20, as shown in Fig. 4.

The base of the chair includes a lateral leg member 29 connected across the connecting leg member 24, and in the opposite ends of the member 29 are mounted casters 30 having mutually inclined rotational axes. Thus every dental student apprentice is able to learn how to move in a limited plane or area with the model's oral cavity as its centre, as if the apprentice were practically treating a dental patient.

When practicing dental treatment, each dental student apprentice sits on a rotary chair 1 8 mounted in association with one of the model heads, and adjustably fixes the height of the seat plate 1 9 and the spacing of the latter from the pivot point, to the most suitable position for his legs. Then two dental instructors sit on the chairs 3, 3a, respectively on the platforms 2, 2a. The instructor seated on the left-hand chair 2 as viewed in Fig. 1 observes a group of apprentices at his side from the platform 2, i.e. from a position higher than the apprentices, while the other instructor seated on the right-hand chair 3a observes another group of apprentices at his side from the platform 2a, likewise from a vantage point higher than the latter group.

Thus both instructors are able to carefully observe how the two groups are operating their hands and using dental instruments.

The instructors may place on the tables 4 all necessary books and dental instruments, giving instructions to the groups, or may be able to practically show them how exactly to use the dental instruments as occasions require.

As will be clearly understood from the foregoing description, the dental instructors are positioned higher than the dental student apprentices so that they can precisely not only give their verbal instructions to the dental student apprentices in an audible manner but also confirm the smallest motion of the apprentices' hands and the manner in which they use the dental instruments.

In case use is made of the dental practice means 1 embodying the invention to give dental instructions to both dental student apprentices and dental practice assistants, a chair 1 8 may be moved from the full line to the broken line position shown in Fig. 3, in which it is moved to the model head 6 which is positioned adjacent that normally served by the moved chair, so as to enable the assistant to use the adjacent model head 6, thus making it possible for both the apprentices and the assistants to make use of the same model head 6.

Claims (7)

1. A dental practice means comprising a plurality of models of human heads for dental student apprentices' study, which model heads are placed at suitably spaced apart intervals in opposite positions lengthwise of a dental cabinet or console, platforms for dental instructors mounted in or at both ends of said console, and chairs for said dental instructors.

2. The dental practice means as claimed in claim 1, wherein each model head is supported intermediate the right and left hand sides of an associated supporting member projecting at one side of said console, the supporting member having a drawer and/or withdrawal means on opposite sides of the model head adapted to receive handpieces, syringes and/or a vacuum pump, an opening being formed at one side of said console thereby to provide a place for mounting a kneading plate and/or other articles associated with dentistry.

3. The dental practice means as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said console comprises a longitudinally extending console having the raised platforms for the instructors disposed at opposite longitudinal ends thereof, the upper part of the console having a lengthwise ridge and being downwardly inclined from the ridge toward both transverse sides so as to present a generally triangular cross-section, light-supporting members being provided along said ridge at suitably spaced apart intervals, with the uppermost ends being substantially T shaped, each end of the cross-limb of each T being provided with a light for illuminating an associated model head.

4. The dental practice means as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, further comprising a rotary or swivel chair for a dental practice apprentice associated with each model head, the chair having its rotational centre located generally vertically below the oral cavity of said model head, the chair being adapted to swing about said centre within a limited range.

5. The dental practice means as claimed in claim 4, wherein said rotary chair has a seat plate, at the centre of the rear of which is provided a generally upright elongate member intended to act as a guide for an apprentice's back.

6. Dental practice means comprising a longitudinally extending console, the console defining, along its length, and on both sides thereof, a plurality of discrete work stations, each equipped with a model of a human head and with dental equipment to enable an individual dental student to practice dental techniques on said model head, a platform being provided at each longitudinal end of the console on which is mounted a chair for an instructor whereby, in use, an instructor is able to view from a raised position, students working at stations on both sides of the console.

7. A dental practice means or system, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.