Dental Chairs

To explore the evolution of dental chairs over the years, we would like to highlight an excellent online exhibition, "Please Have a Seat: Evolution of the Dental Chair," created by the A. W. Ward Museum of Dentistry at University of the Pacific (5). The exhibition showcases the transformation of dental chairs from basic seating to modern, sophisticated chairs with multi-functional treatment units, allowing for various patient positions and improved working conditions for dentists.  

Doctor Richard Glenner's article “The dental chair—a brief pictorial history” also includes a selection of illustrations depicting chairs used in different eras and provides a brief history of the development of the sophisticated dental chair up to the 1970s (6).  

In addition, the University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry Museum has some unique dental chair collections. (Please note that the collection is currently not accessible.) 

The pictures below depict a McLaren Chair donated by Doctor James Willmott (the first dean of Faculty of Dentistry University of Toronto), which can be seen in the front window of the Dental Museum. To view some of the Faculty of Dentistry Museum Chair collections with descriptions, please follow this link: Dental Museum chairs description.

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    Photo of the front of the McLaren Wilkerson dental chair, first introduced in 1877. An old dental chair upholstered in a plush fabric with a mahogany frame that is decorated with a painted scene on the front of the chair. The chair includes a headrest, foot rest, and a white spittoon at the right arm. Photo courtesy Jeff Comber.

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    Photo of the back of the McLaren Wilkerson dental chair, first introduced in 1877. An old dental chair upholstered in a plush fabric with a mahogany frame that is decorated with painted scenes on the back of the chair. The chair includes a headrest, foot rest, and a white spittoon at the right arm. Photo courtesy Jeff Comber.

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Today, the design of dental chairs has significantly evolved to enhance comfort for both patients and professionals. They feature adjustable components and allow for various patient positions and improved working conditions for dentists to reduce musculoskeletal issues. They have also evolved into multi-functional treatment units with integrated systems for electric power, water, air, suction, and computer software, supporting a wide range of dental procedures (7, 8). With the rise of digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the design of dental chairs is also evolving through, for example, AI integration. Modern dental chairs now feature electric and fully automated sensors for controlling movements, which can even respond to the dentist’s voice. Future advancements are expected to include dental chairs that can calculate patient weight and other essential parameters during treatment, further enhancing comfort and efficiency (17).  

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Photo of a modern dental chair, including instrument mounts and an overhead light. Photo courtesy Jeff Comber.