Palestinian student designs portable dental unit

A Palestinian engineering student in the Gaza Strip has designed a portable dental unit in a rolling suitcase, using repurposed appliance parts.

Abdullah al-Baba, 23, says the idea came to him when his father, who uses a wheelchair after being wounded by Israeli fire during a border protest, developed a toothache and struggled to reach the third-floor office of his dentist.

Al-Baba says it could prove useful to dentists visiting patients in rural areas and it took a year and a half to develop the prototype, and that the device is safe for patients and dentists.

Al-Baba hopes to secure approval from the Palestinian Health Ministry, and to one day manufacture the devices on a larger scale.