Radio 4 Feature, The Untold: The Dentist Van
This month on Radio 4, the great work Dentaid Charity do to enable access to Dentistry for the most vulnerable was showcased... and you might have heard a few bits from me!
What work do Dentaid do in the UK?
Whilst Dentaid activities were originally centred to helping dental access overseas, over recent years, the need for dental care for the most vulnerable here at home in the UK have become so pressing, the charity has stepped up to provide care up and down the country.
They use mobile dental units to provide voluntary clinics to populations from South Shields, to Folkestone. The clinics care for communities that struggle to access dental care including the homeless, veterans, asylum seekers, fisherman and even head and neck cancer patients.
In this podcast feature, we were providing a clinic for people who experience homelessness in Hastings. The feature follows the story of several of the patients I saw on the van that day and really highlights the reality of someone's life who hasn't got a home: and how dentistry fits into this.
Oral health does matter to these people and can have a huge impact on their lives. From living with chronic pain, infection, difficulty in eating as well as affecting self-esteem. Being able to give back to these communities has always been a passion of mine, and I hope this inspires others to give back to their local communities and challenge the stereotype of homelessness - homelessness can happen to anyone.
To read more about volunteering opportunities with Dentaid, click here.
Do you have any questions about homeless dentistry? Please leave them in the comments below
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