In the 10 weeks since it was launched in December, The Real Junk Tooth Project in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, has treated more than 50 people who were suffering severe dental pain and could not access NHS care for a variety of reasons.
The clinic, held at Dewsbury Dental Centre on Thursday evenings, has seen a steady stream of patients and the volunteer dentists have extracted more than 40 teeth. One patient required seven extractions and another had five teeth removed. Some patients had been in severe dental pain for months and were finding it difficult to eat and sleep. The dentists, led by Nick O’Donovan who owns the practice, have also applied dressings, given oral health advice and prescribed antibiotics.
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 – which is 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 scheme has helped recovering addicts who wanted to start rehabilitation programmes but were using drugs and alcohol to help them cope with dental pain. They are now able to start their recovery as they are no longer suffering toothache. The dentists have also helped low wage workers who could not take time off work in the day to attend appointments and people who couldn’t afford to take public transport to the nearest NHS emergency clinic in Bradford.
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.
“The figures show that in Dewsbury there are many people who can’t access NHS dentistry but we know this is not an isolated case and there must be other parts of the country where people are suffering dental pain in similar circumstances. This scheme is all about breaking down barriers and enabling more people to access dentistry. We know that for some people their lifestyles mean it can be hard for them to see a dentist regularly and when something goes wrong it feels like there is nowhere to turn. We want to help the people who are falling through the gaps – to stop them self medicating, extracting their own teeth or trying to live with long term dental pain.”
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. Dentaid wants to hear from dentists who are interested in setting up similar schemes at their practices and would be willing to volunteer their time to help people in their community.
In Dewsbury Dentaid has partnered with the Real Junk Food Project (RJFP) which takes donated food and gives it to vulnerable people in the community. Many were suffering from serious dental problems and RJFP volunteers were able to refer them to the clinic for treatment. Dentaid is interested in hearing from other social enterprises or charities who have identified groups of people who might benefit from outreach dental services.
Anyone who is interested in finding out more about the Real Junk Tooth Project should contact Dentaid on 01794 324249.