Mobile dentist. (c2007)

Abstract

As mobile computing devices are becoming more and more popular, mobile users tend to be more demanding. They desire or sometimes require access to information anytime and from anywhere. The traditional concept of timely and reliable access to global information in a distributed heterogeneous database system must be expanded to integrate the new mobile entities such as: mobile people and computers. This leads to the development of mobile database systems which are gaining great popularity nowadays. However, this concept of mobility does not come without new challenges and barriers due to the reduced capacity of network connection, low-bandwidth wireless links, frequent disconnection, higher error rates, limited power sources, limited hardware capabilities, and more. This paper explores the concept of mobility by targeting Windows Mobile powered devices such as Pocket PCs, Pocket PCs Phone Edition, and Smartphones. Moreover, it presents a description and implementation for the activities of Mobile Dentists who would like to have access to their patients' information anytime and from anywhere. Hence, this paper proposes the Mobile Dentist Application which is designed and developed to be deployed to Windows Mobile powered devices and to handle several mobile dentists' issues including secure login authentication, managing patients' information, managing patients' appointments, keeping track of patients' payments, recording all dentist's expenses, generating Balance Sheets, including an Artificial Intelligent component, integrating a Smart Reminder Component which automatically sends SMS reminder messages, and generating Statement of Accounts that can be sent via SMS to patients. Furthermore, the Mobile Dentist Application is carefully developed to grant dentists the freedom of movement while having access to their clinics' stock data, accounting data, as well as patients' private data anytime and from anywhere.