More than 5,000 people experiencing health inequalities have been seen onboard mobile dental units in the first year of a partnership between NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight and Dentaid The Dental Charity.
The scheme – launched last February – aims to increase access to dental care for Hampshire and Isle of Wight residents who hadn’t been able to access dental care and are exempt from NHS charges.
Dentaid’s mobile dental surgeries on wheels have been used to provide dental treatments and oral health programmes at foodbanks, places of worship, community centres and public buildings across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Appointments are available through 111 for people who are in urgent dental pain along with check-ups and routine care for eligible patients.
Most clinics have taken place in Southampton, Portsmouth and the surrounding towns of Fareham, Gosport, Cosham and Havant, and on the Isle of Wight. However, people in Andover, parts of the New Forest and Basingstoke can also benefit from the outreach dental service thanks to the expansion of the project this year.
In the first 12 months, 5,169 Hampshire and Isle of Wight residents have seen a dentist on a Dentaid mobile dental unit. Between them they have had 20,388 dental treatments including fillings, extractions, scale and polish and oral cancer screening. Hundreds of children and young people have also received dental care and 3744 schoolchildren have learned about good toothbrushing, healthy diets and the importance of regular care thanks to Dentaid’s BrightBites programme.
“This partnership is an innovative way of taking dental services to the communities that need it most,” said Andy Evans, CEO of Dentaid The Dental Charity.
“We know that lots of people in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight who face health equalities also have experienced barriers to accessing dental care. By providing them with treatment in their community we are helping to create capacity elsewhere in the system. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and we are very proud of our team of clinicians and support staff who are ensuring that people who were suffering long-term dental pain and social exclusion can now get the dental care and treatment they need.”
Deputy Director of Primary Care at NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Simon Cooper, said: “Our partnership with Dentaid and the mobile dental units over the past 12 months has been hugely beneficial for local residents. We know that patients often find it difficult to access an NHS dentist, particularly those facing health inequalities, and the mobile dental units have provided an additional resource to help meet this need. Many patients seen at the mobile dental unit had not been to a dentist before and those that required more complex or urgent treatment are also able to be treated.
“We are very grateful to the work of Dentaid which is helping us in our mission to improve access to NHS dentistry. And while access is improving with 10,000 more patients having seen an NHS dentist in the past 12 months compared to the year before we know there is still work to do to improve NHS dentistry for everyone across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.”