Scottish Health Board Spends £26,000 On Dental Chair For Obese Patients
NHS Fife has spent £26,000 on a dental chair for obese patients. The move comes in response to a growing number of obese patients in the area.
Bariatric chairs are designed to provide comfort for patients who are too large or heavy to fit in standard dental chairs.
NHS Fife has now spent £42,000 on specialist bariatric equipment since 2011-2012, with other purchases including a specially designed bariatric commode, a plinth used for examinations and a hoist, which cost more than £5,000.
Figures from Tayside and the Forth Valley reflect the same trend. NHS Tayside has spent more than £160,000 on items including larger dignity gowns, specially designed beds and chairs and heavy-duty operating tables.
Figures from health boards across England Wales showed that more than £5 million was spent on specialist bariatric equipment in the same 12 month period.
The growing number of people who are obese presents health boards with a challenge, especially as many are working to tighter budgets. An increasing number of dental practices are investing in bariatric chairs to make dental care accessible for patients who are too large to use traditional dental chairs.
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