Partnering with Indigenous communities

With reduced access to fluoridated water and greater exposure to risk factors such as poor diet, alcohol and diabetes, the oral health situation in many remote Indigenous communities is at crisis point. The following organisations and groups received grant funding to implement projects in these communities:

Filling The Gap recruits volunteer dentists to be placed in Wuchopperen, QLD. The grant helped the expansion of this model to serve another Indigenous community in remote NSW.

Tooth Mob volunteers deliver dental treatment and train staff in remote Indigenous communities of the Katherine, NT. The grant helped to place two dentists and two dental nurses in local clinics for up to ten days.

HOPE4HEALTH has established an Emergency Dental Clinic at Cherbourg, QLD to provide dental care and oral health education. The grant helped to fund the transportation of volunteers to Cherbourg and assist in providing basic equipment for dental treatments.

Partnering to improve the oral care of homeless and low income communities

On any given night, more than 105,000 Australians are homeless or find themselves without adequate shelter. Dental treatment can pave the way to becoming productive and self supporting members of the community by improving oral health, speech, presentation and self esteem. But these people simply can’t access care. The following organisations and groups received grant funding to implement projects in these communities:

At the National Dental Foundation NSW’s Dental Rescue Days, dentists volunteer to care for patients from a range of charities. The grant helped with the transportation of patients to dental surgeries and materials for up to 20 practices.

The University of Adelaide is setting up a clinic that will provide access to basic oral health care services for homeless people in Adelaide, staffed by students and volunteers. The grant assisted the development of promotional materials for the new CBD clinic.

Absolute Dental Care, QLD will educate local children from disadvantaged families on the importance of oral hygiene and prevention of dental problems before they arise. The grant helped fund materials for the training sessions.

Improving access to special needs dentistry

For people with cerebral palsy, muscle spasms, teeth grinding and swallowing difficulties make a routine dental check up painful and distressing. Due to the nature of the disability the transfer between the wheel and dental chairs makes treatment, at times, impossible.

The Cerebral Palsy Alliance is building a specialist dental clinic: the first of its kind in Australia. The grant received will assist with funding the installation of a specialised wheelchair ramp that will allow dentists to treat patients in their wheelchairs.

For more information about The Wrigley Foundation ADA Community Service Grants program, please contact Sylvia Jenson, Oral Healthcare Program manager.