The dentist's chair, pt. 1: Stating the problem

Here's a critique of the traditional spatial arrangement of dentist and patient:

Good:

• the patient is well constrained in his movement, allowing precision in treatment
• the dentist is protected from saliva, blood etc.
• the dentist has his arms down, hence good blood flow into arms
• the dentist has direct view of his actions (not through a mirror or monitor)
• the position accommodates most levels of obesity
  

Bad:

• the patient is uncomfortable because he's lying on his back: unless he swallows from time to time, saliva will get into his airways, causing fear of suffocation; suction tubes never work properly
• the patient cannot efficiently communicate with the dentist while being treated; his hands are usually out of the field of view of the dentist
  
• the dentist cannot rest his wrists on anything, hence losing manual precision

I'll be posting some concept sketches soon. Please feel free to contribute to the discussion!