Festival medical teams report increase in people seeking dental care at Glastonbury
Medical teams based at Glastonbury have reported an increase in the number of people seeking advice for dental issues.
The director of Festival Medical Services, which provides medical and dental care for the festival every year, said that there had been a steady stream of people turning up asking for help with dental problems as soon as the doors opened. Chris Howes said that many people had been unable to get dental appointments at home and so were using festival dental services. During the run-up to the event, teams also experienced an increase in the number of people working on the site who required emergency dental care.
Festival Medical Services was founded at Glastonbury Festival in 1979 and has provided medical and dental care since. Most people only need help with minor ailments, but Mr Howes said there is usually a correlation between the types of injuries and symptoms and the weather. When it’s hot and dry, like it has been this year, the most common illnesses include heat stroke and asthma attacks triggered by the dust. Fractures are also more common when the ground is dry and hard. When it’s muddy, there’s a lower risk of broken bones and sprains tend to be more common.
On Saturday 24th June, temperatures soared and it was bright and sunny. Teams saw more people with heat stroke, allergies and itchy, sore eyes due to the dusty ground. Most people who seek help can be treated on-site and recover quickly.
Most of the volunteers who sign up for the charity have either worked for or currently work for the NHS. During the festival, which runs from Thursday to Sunday, volunteers usually treat around 4,000 to 5,000 people.
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