Dentaid is launching its second charity dental unit, supported by Bupa Dental Care, at the BDIA Dental Showcase.
The new vehicle will visit homeless shelters, soup kitchens and day centres with teams of volunteers.
It will also provide dental screening, emergency treatment and oral health advice for people who find it difficult to access care.
‘We can’t wait to launch the second Dentaid charity dental unit,’ said Dentaid CEO, Andy Evans.
‘We know that 70% of homeless people have experienced dental problems.
‘But thanks to our incredible volunteers we are in a unique position to help them.
‘We have regular clinics in Leeds, York, Winchester, Hampshire and Wiltshire.
‘And we’re now looking forward to launching new projects thanks to our second dental unit.’
‘Really excited’
Bupa Dental Care has chosen Dentaid as its official charity partner, following its support for the dental unit.
As a result, Bupa practices will support its UK work with a variety of fundraising initiatives involving patients and employees.
The dental corporate will also be providing funding, via its apprenticeship levy, for the charity to hire an administration apprentice.
‘We’re really excited to begin our work with Dentaid and help support them to provide oral care for some of the most vulnerable people in our society,’ Gabriela Pueyo, general manager at Bupa Dental Care, said.
‘We asked our employees to vote for which organisation they wanted to make our official charity partner.
‘They overwhelmingly chose Dentaid.’
Dentaid treatment
Dentaid travels the UK offering free dental treatment to the most vulnerable people in society.
Because of this, in the first nine months of 2019, its clinics reached 475 homeless and hard-to-reach patients.
The charity now plans to run one vehicle in the south of England and one in the north.
‘With more than 470 practices across the UK, we’re in a great position to provide volunteers for Dentaid’s mobile units as they travel across the country,’ Gabriela Pueyo continued.
‘We’re really proud to be able to support such an important organisation.’
