Before the covid pandemic, dental decay was THE top reason for children aged between five and nine to be admitted to hospital in England – not to mention the 45,000 hospital operations which took place to remove rotten teeth in children and teenagers in England in 2018/19.
With fears the problem could get worse because almost three-quarters have not seen a dentist since the start of last year (despite recommendations that children have annual check-ups) –the charity, Dental Wellness Trust is raising urgent funds to get its mobile clinic on road and help tackle the current dental crisis across the UK.
As part of the Dental Wellness Trust’s ambitious programme to continue helping thousands of children with its supervised toothbrushing programmes in nurseries and schools, the charity has identified an urgent need to fund a state-of-the-art Mobile Dental Clinic which will be used to facilitate the vital (and FREE) service of the charity to both children and those communities most in need.
All too often, children from low socio-economic families exhibit significant levels of decay and experience limited access to care. Long waiting lists and the lack of transportation is part of the issue as well as parents not being motivated to seek dental care for their children. This is why the mobile dental clinic will be an innovative solution to providing essential dental care with the flexibility that stationary practices do not.
The mobile clinic (staffed by fully trained dentists and dental care professionals) will specifically offer screening, fissure sealants, fluoride varnishing, active brushing and dental education across all sites.
Weekend outreach programmes will also be introduced. These are particularly effective teaching opportunities that help students improve their clinical skills whilst offering experience of working in an oral health care environment where patients are managed in a holistic manner. Valuable data will also be collected and serve as a fertile ground for research and innovation.
Not only will your contribution help aid children in some of the UK’s most deprived towns and cities, it will also assist students in the dental health care profession as part of their vital training.
Poor oral health affects a child in many ways. Many suffer agonising pain, cannot sleep at night or concentrate at school and so end up missing classes. They are often repeatedly given antibiotics for recurrent infections, or turn up at the dental surgery with swollen faces, requiring multiple fillings and extractions, all at very young ages. And the most worrying factor is – this is ALL entirely preventable.