Research suggests that a staggering 21 per cent of the population do not visit the dentist annually; by offering free check-ups in their 53ft state of the art transportable dental practice in business parks around the country Onsite are striving to take the hassle out of oral health. More than simply expedient, Onsite Services is a channel through which links can be forged between the dental community and the community at large.
This venture, supported by the British Dental Health Foundation, will see local dental care professionals providing annual dental check-ups, oral health awareness education and health screening for related illnesses such as diabetes and oral cancer. During a pilot of the scheme in Ireland 3,704 patients signed up for the service resulting in £270,560 worth of free health and dental treatment; 77 per cent of patients asked said that they would use a dentist who visited their workplace and 96 per cent who did said they would recommend this service to their friends and colleagues. Evidently, feedback so far has been encouraging. The Onsite team continue to collect feedback from patients to constantly improve the provision of care; the transportable nature of this enterprise facilitates the generation of geographically diverse data and a service that can evolve and adapt to suit the needs of the patients.
Joshua Perry, CEO of Onsite Dental, stressed the importance of incorporating general health checks such as BMI monitoring into the Onsite service; research suggests that the majority of people visit their GPs only when they are showing symptoms, bi-annual dental check-ups are therefore a great opportunity for preventive care. Dental teams are first and foremost health professionals; health screenings performed in the Ireland trial resulted in patient’s being referred to specialist consultants and obtaining formal treatment. Research has long suggested causal links between dental and general health conditions; collaborative efforts such as the Onsite scheme gives scope to improve overall health, saving resources and potentially lives through recognition of early signs of illness.
Aside from facilitating preventive and restorative care, Onsite also incorporates an aesthetic offering. Through partnership with Align Technology, Onsite are able to provide treatment consultations for the popular Invisalign orthodontic system and connect patients with their local providers. The recent surge in demand for aesthetic treatment serves as a potential gateway to improving oral health generally as well as refining smiles through discreet orthodontics and whitening techniques. Jamie Morley, UK & Ireland General Manager at Invisalign, described the partnership between Align Technology and Onsite as a success, he said it has enabled “engagement with current Invisalign providers, raised brand awareness and really pulled the whole thing together.”
The partnership with Invisalign is indicative of the effect expected on the dental community as a whole; by staffing the endeavour with local dental care professionals Onsite provides an opportunity for conversion, increasing patient bases rather than detracting from them and making dentistry more amenable to potential patients. After the tour, which is currently scheduled to visit 12 cities within the UK, workplaces that have seen the benefits and savings to be made from this service will have the option of continuing care with Onsite’s Pop-Up Dental Centres. This will provide an additional line of revenue for dental practices and a new, convenient route to treatment and oral health for patients.
For more information visit http://onsiteservice.com/uk/tour