Mobile Dental Office Scheduling to Cut Patient Travel Disruption

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional dental care, particularly orthodontic care, requires multiple appointments, which are disruptive and time-consuming for patients and their guardians, often necessitating time off from school or work.

Innovation Solution

A mobile dental office equipped with treatment stations and computing systems that provide dental care at schools or designated locations, allowing scheduling and notification of appointments, and integrating with computing devices for guardian approval and patient record management.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If dental care is provided in a traditional fixed office, then dental treatment can be delivered, but patients must travel to the office causing disruption to school or work

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveAccessibility of dental careVSAvoidTime off from school or work

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of bringing the patient to the dental office, the mobile dental office travels to the patient's location (school or workplace), inverting the traditional patient transport model to eliminate travel time and disruption

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The mobile dental office serves as an intermediary between the fixed dental practice and the patient, delivering care at the patient's location while maintaining connection to the broader dental care system through digital record-keeping and scheduling

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If multiple appointments are scheduled for orthodontic care, then comprehensive treatment can be provided, but the frequency of visits increases disruption to patients

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveQuality of orthodontic treatmentVSAvoidFrequency of appointments

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The mobile dental office enables dynamic scheduling where multiple appointments can be consolidated into single visits by bringing different treatment components to the patient at different times, reducing the total number of separate trips required

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

Multiple treatment activities (examinations, adjustments, imaging, patient education) are merged into single mobile visits by equipping the mobile office with comprehensive treatment capabilities, reducing the number of separate appointments needed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Adaptability or versatility

If dental services are provided at multiple locations, then patient accessibility improves, but the complexity of managing mobile equipment increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveGeographic reach of dental servicesVSAvoidMobile dental office equipment

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The mobile dental office is segmented into modular functional units (treatment area, storage, imaging, sterilization) that can be independently managed and maintained, reducing the complexity burden of moving comprehensive equipment

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The mobile dental office is designed as a universal platform that can serve multiple patient populations (students, workers, elderly) at various locations, amortizing the complexity investment across diverse uses and locations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS12462926B2Systems and methods for mobile dental care

Publication Date: 2025.11.04 CASTNER DAN

AI summary

Apparatuses, components, methods, and techniques for providing mobile dental care are provided. An example system for providing mobile dental care includes a mobile dental office having a dental office computing device that is configured to communicate with one or more of a patient/guardian computing device, an institution/venue computing device, and a patient computing device to plan routes for the mobile dental office, to schedule appointments, and to transmit notifications regarding appointments.