Portable dental equipment: dental units and x-ray equipment.

Portable dental equipment makes it possible for clinicians to provide dental care to patients who are unable to travel to a traditional dental clinic. Nonambulatory, homebound, and institutionalized patients benefit greatly when portable equipment is used to address their dental treatment needs on-site. In recent years, more brands of portable equipment have been introduced to the market, some of which are quite sophisticated in terms of their design and uses. This article seeks to describe two kinds of commercially available portable equipment--dental units and x-ray devices--and to discuss their capabilities and features.