Technical Workshops held before public input into new Schools Oral Health Service
18/09/2009
| Oral Health technical workshops
Discussions on the introduction of mobile dental clinics for children, and some adolescents where private dentists do not hold contracts to provide adolescent care in the MidCentral District Health Board region are being carried out at technical workshops in preparation for the seeking of public input into the service.
MDHB Child and Oral Health Project manager Kate Aplin said: “Five new mobile dental clinics, in addition to the existing three, will be in service around the region by mid 2010, along with three two-chair fixed clinics in Palmerston North as part of the “Child and Adolescent Oral Health Project” which is aimed at meeting the Ministry of Health’s vision of “Good Oral Health for All, for Life”.
Four single-chair and four two-chair mobile clinics will operate in the MDHB region in an attempt to lift the current chair use rate of 37 percent to 80 percent and improve access to dental care for low income, rural, Maori and Pacific families by taking the service to where the children are.
The new mobile clinics are purpose-built dental clinics designed by Dental Therapists along with technical experts. Four of the new mobile clinics are 11.5m long and the other is 7.5m long. Each will have waste and communication facilities, waiting room and cleaning area, along with sound systems and climate control. Digital radiography (xrays) is also being introduced to enable a decision on treatment options to be made at the appointment rather than waiting for several days to have the xray processed and read.
The regional workshops have been discussing which schools (or other locations) they would like the mobile dental clinic to visit in their area, and for what period of time and how often, as well as the preferred schools for the fixed clinics in Palmerston North. These same points will be covered in the community meetings.Details regarding the upcoming community meetings to further address the proposal will be announced shortly.
It is anticipated that sites will be finalised in November 2009.
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Last Updated 19/11/2009