Practitioner Seating

A-dec dental practitioner stool, Jason Alvarez industrial design
A-dec dental practitioner stool, Jason Alvarez industrial design 
PROJECT GOALS

The project goal was to increase seating comfort for practitioners. Our team created a dynamic seating surface to conform to individual anatomy and user activities without the need for adjustment. This is especially important when trying to limit cross contamination between patients. Additionally, these stools are frequently used by multiple users and continual adjustments can lead to care team discomfort and frustration.

The new dental seating system incrementally increased seating sales by an average of 18% in the first few months after its 2015 introduction and established a new comfort standard in the industry.

  • Flexible Components

    The development team created a comfortable seating surface using three different components: soft foam, a flexible “waffle” and somewhat compliant support structure we affectionately called the “stingray.”

  • Pressure Mapping

    Active pressure mapping helped us reduce pressure points to ensure accommodation of a variety of sizes and anatomies.

  • Mock-ups

    Physical mock-ups served as comfort benchmarks throughout development, tested against a range of body types and working postures.

  • Active Seating Posture

    Leaning forward towards the oral cavity while seated puts stress on the spine. Encouraging a more upright posture reduces back fatigue.

  • Conceptual Sketch

    Early exploration of form and function

  • 3D Concept Rendering