Dentaid mobile unit treats more than 150 patients in Dewsbury
A mobile dental unit provided by the charity, Dentaid, has provided treatment for more than 150 patients in Dewsbury.
The dental van, which toured the local area for seven days, offered a range of services including extractions, fillings and urgent pain relief.
The first patient through the door was Philip Rushforth who had been suffering from severe dental pain for months. The Dewsbury resident had tried to register with a dentist in town, but had struggled to find available places. He had five teeth extracted by volunteer dentists.
During its tour of the region, which started at Pentland Infant School, the Dentaid van visited Mirfield, Chickenley and Dewsbury. The project was funded by Kirklees Council, which provided the charity with a grant worth over £7,000.
The team, which was made of volunteer dental professionals, tried to see at least 30 patients per day. No appointments were necessary and people who had been unable to get an NHS dental appointment were invited to turn up and receive free dental care.
A spokesperson for Dentaid said that the scheme had been very successful, with more than 150 people benefiting from the 7-day tour. In some cases, patients arrived in tears as a result of dental pain and left shortly afterwards with a smile back on their face.
The latest project comes after Dentaid stepped in to provide free dental care for patients in the Dewsbury area back in December 2015. Local health watchdogs and MPs have called for improved access to dental services in recent years as a result of difficulty in finding available NHS places around the town.
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