Where the surgery meets the road

A wealth of experience outfitting dental clinics helps William Green design mobile surgeries.

By Danny Chan  

Mobile Dental Services help to bridge the access gap for those for whom transport or access can be a challenge, including the elderly and infirmed as well as disadvantaged and remote populations.

As of June 2020, national statistics estimate that 4.2 million Australians – 16 per cent of the total population – were aged 65 and over. This is a sizeable group for which a disproportionately high percentage of dental neglect is blamed on transportation or access challenges.

At the other end of the spectrum, there’s a growing need amongst school-based kids reflected by the government’s CDBS scheme to provide them free dental care. The initiative aims to equip these kids with the tools to “eat well, drink well and clean well – for life”. This issue has become more pronounced in the pandemic era, which has already seen a drop in children visiting dentists, with dire consequences.

For these and other vulnerable groups, dental service providers are turning to mobile dental surgeries to help overcome transportation barriers. And if they are looking for a custom-fitted solution, there’s a good chance William Green will show up on the recommendation list.

Upwardly Mobile

Famously pigeonholed as Australia’s sole manufacturer of dental units, William Green is also synonymous with the supply of high-end equipment, covering everything from digital imaging to plant equipment to dental chairs to sterilization and infection control.

A strong brand association is to be expected from a third-generation family-owned company that has been servicing the dental profession for over 75 years, although eagle-eyed industry watchers would also point out the company’s niche market supplying bespoke solutions for Mobile Dental Surgeries. 

“No one really offers a mobile solution out of the box per se. It requires a technically proficient team with a depth of knowledge of mobile applications.”

Ryan Green, the General Manager of William Green

“Drawing from our rich heritage as an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), we are able to work with the client to understand exactly what their requirements are, and then workshopping a solution for them.”

Ryan is the grandchild of William Green founders, Bill and Hilda and son of John Green, the current CEO. Along with brother Simon, he is part of the third generation leadership.

“We were building mobile caravans for the Queensland Health Service back in the 70s, but the reinvigoration of that business began about six years ago,” he recounts.

“We wanted to lower the barrier of entry for a general dentist to set up a mobile clinic, and so focused on developing a towable solution.”

Drive to Succeed

Following 18 months of gestation, William Green displayed their first Towable Dental Surgery in a trailer at the ADX2018 in Sydney.

The company has steadily expanded its mobile solutions in recent years. In addition to the Tow-Along models, customers can also choose from the Self-Drive Dental Surgery range of solutions – available in different chassis options from compact and large vans to trucks.

“Basically, the “Self-Drive” solutions are the ones built into the chassis that has an engine and steering wheel, as opposed to a Tow-Along option,” he explains.

Although the form factor varies, the equipment and fixtures still share design constraints around weight, size and robustness.

This is true of the compressor and suction units that have to be compact and lightweight, while packing enough power to sustain a surgery on the move.

Perfect Match

Looking under the hood of any William Green mobile dental vehicle, you will find ‘plant room’ products from Dürr Dental, one of the world’s leading pioneers in dental compression and suction systems.  

The German family-owned dental company was founded in Stuttgart-Feuerbach in 1941, just five years preceding the birth of William Green.

Besides sharing rich kindred histories, Ryan says Dürr Dental products are the “perfect match” for their mobile solutions.  

“Our relationship with Dürr Dental has been going strong for more than 30 years, all the way back to when we started manufacturing,” Ryan attests. 

“Dürr Dental delivers value-for-money systems and quality parts that are robust and reliable.

“They make a whole range of OEM components, many of which are commonly found in premium dental brands.”

Dürr Dental’s extensive range also makes it easier to customise a solution that meets a spectrum of design criteria in the mobile dental space. For example, designers of the ‘Self-Drive’ solution in the C Class or standard licence category must ensure its total weight comes under 4.5 tonnes.

“Dürr Dental offers a very compact and lightweight solution for their suction motors and compressors, making them a great fit,” Ryan adds.

“Dürr products are known for their robustness and reliability, two very important criteria when it comes to selecting components that are tolerable by standard vehicles.

“Unlike stationary plant room units placed in the corner of a fixed clinic, these products will need to withstand intensive vibrations in transit – all the shakes, bounce and rolls that come with a mobile dental surgery.”

Ryan Green, the General Manager of William Green

Strong, Quiet Type

A well-designed mobile dental fitout is further distinguished by its low-noise operation. That’s an area in which the Dürr Tornado Compressor truly shines, says Ryan about the plant equipment selected for their ‘Self-Drive’ chassis. 

“The plant room has to be contained in the same space as the office or clinical area we’ve elected the office area – so the level of noise generated by the equipment is a major criteria,” he continues.  

“The Dürr Tornado Compressor is a solidly built unit that also happens to be one of the quietest on the market.

“The weight constraints also apply to the materials used to dampen the environmental sounds and vibrations, so having a whisper-quiet and rock solid compressor on deck certainly helps in that regard.” 

Another highlight of the ‘plant room’ area is the Dürr VSA300S, a suction unit with amalgam separation designed for one treatment chair.

“This product offers a great integrated solution where amalgam retention and evacuation are all combined in a single unit.

“Besides adding to the environmentally sustainable credentials of our mobile dental solution, this is another powerful workhorse, low-noise unit.”

Ryan Green, the General Manager of William Green, on the Dürr VSA300S suction unit

Road-Worthy Surgeries

William Green is currently supplying Self-Drive Surgery solutions to governmental healthcare services across various states

Large-scale Mobile Dental Service projects like these fully exploit William Green’s wealth of experience supplying bespoke dental equipment solutions and their synergistic partnership with Dürr Dental.

The Portable and Mobile Dentistry (PMD) sector is gaining mainstream acceptance as both non-profit and for-profit organisations are bringing their services out to untapped populations.

That also means we’ll get to see more William Green Self-Drive Dental Surgeries appear in far-flung locations across the Australian landmass. Perhaps down the proverbial road, the William Green brand will soon be entwined with mobile dental solutions.