Dentaid looks to extend project after successful pilot scheme
A project providing emergency pain-relieving dentistry for people who have difficulty accessing NHS treatment may be extended to other parts of the country after a successful pilot scheme.
Since it launched in December, The Real Junk Tooth Project in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, has treated over 50 people who were suffering severe dental pain and could not access NHS care for a variety of reasons.
The project was launched by international dental charity Dentaid after it became aware that many people in the UK were suffering long-term dental problems that were affecting their health. They also wanted to stop people from taking drastic measures like extracting their own teeth.
The charity, best known for its work in the developing world, is committed to eradicating dental pain whatever people’s circumstances might be. The patients treated by the scheme include migrant workers, homeless people and people with mental health problems. The dentists have also helped low-wage workers who could not take time off work in the day to attend appointments.
In addition to vulnerable and disadvantaged people, the Real Junk Tooth Project has also helped people who were unable to register with an NHS dentist in the Dewsbury area. Many had developed dental problems while they were on an NHS dentist’s waiting list. Some had de-registered in the past and couldn’t find a new NHS dentist. Other patients who were not eligible for free NHS care said they could not afford treatment especially for recurring problems.
“To have treated this number of people at a clinic that is just open for two hours on a Thursday evening shows there is certainly a need for this sort of emergency dental service,” said Andy Evans, strategic director of Dentaid.
Andy recently met with the chief dental officer Sara Hurley to discuss the scheme, and Dentaid wants to work alongside the NHS to increase access to emergency dentistry.
The charity is now looking at ways of expanding its outreach in other parts of the country.
