A Hampshire-based dental clinic has launched a new mobile dental unit (MDU) called the Toothbus.
Building on the success of the Iosis Clinic’s first MDU in 2010, the Toothbus is now travelling across Hampshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire offering free dental checkups for anyone who has not seen an NHS dentist in the last two years.
The team faced a challenge to develop a communications system to allow access to patient records, stored at Iosis Winchester clinic, while complying with NHS Information Governance rules.
Iosis worked with Basingstoke-based DISDental IT to create a secure network between the Toothbus and the four Iosis clinics using 3G technology.
Mark Cotton, managing director of DISDental explains: ‘Our technology link between the MDUs and the practice in Winchester ensures that patient records on the Kodak Clinical Plus system are accessible for the dental team to refer to throughout clinics. The communications system ensures that no patient data is left on the MDU at the end of the session, all data is backed up in the cloud and all communications are encrypted. Furthermore, follow-up appointments can be made there and then with appointment cards printed on-site.’
Iosis Clinic managing director, Shapour Hariri, noted the important role the Toothbus could play in delivering dental care for those who usually would be unable to travel to a dental practice: ‘Now that both MDUs are fully bedded in, we are delighted to offer our patients convenient, superior dental care without the need for lengthy travel.’
