Jonathan Gollings, who is a trustee for international dental charity Dentaid, spent November 21-22, in the 'Jungle' Camp which is home to more than 6,000 people. He treated many refugees who were suffering from abscesses and appalling dental pain and says more needs to be done to help them.
Dentaid has provided a DentaidBox - a portable dental surgery and chair - which has been set up in a caravan in the camp. Dental supplier Qualident generously donated an autoclave to sterilise equipment. The charity, based in Landford, is hoping to send more volunteers to the camps where people are arriving every day in desperate need of dental care. It has teamed up with the group Manchester Refugee Crisis and other volunteer dentists to provide the only dental services in the camp.
Jonathan, who lives in Wimborne and works at Hoburne Dental Practice in Highcliffe, and fellow dentist Will Gough worked out in the open in wet, muddy conditions where thousands of people are living in tents after fleeing their homes.
"We didn't stop all day, there were back to back people with really horrific dental needs" he said.
"The conditions out there are really horrific. It's cold, it's wet and very miserable.
He said many of the people in the camps had other ailments, such as injuries and chest infections.
"These are normal people escaping conflicts from various areas," he said.
"It's just a case of being able to go over there and express the fact that we do care for them and love them and want to help."
Dentaid has launched a Crowd Funding campaign to raise money to send more dental equipment to Calais. Visit https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/help-us-help-calais/
The charity is also asking people to donate £5 by texting teethcalais to 70660.
If you would like to find out more about dental volunteering in the Calais camps email info@dentaid.org or call 01794 324249.