Providing oral health services, and particularly dental care and treatment, requires some physical resources. Unfortunately, for fifty years there has been a massive over-emphasis on supplying redundant Western dental surgery equipment to middle and low-income countries overseas.  Indeed, every year, hundreds of tonnes of dental equipment is shipped overseas at great expense by well-meaning but inexperienced charities and individuals. This equipment often gets stuck in customs (causing great expense to recipient projects), and on eventual clearance and arrival is found to be worn out or broken (normally the reason dentists upgrade), or is missing key components.  Amazingly commonly, this equipment has also been sent to clinics, which do not have electricity or to countries operating on a different voltage scale (much American equipment which is 110 volts is sent to Africa countries which are generally 240 volts). Only a tiny proportion of this donated equipment is ever properly installed and maintained and, most critically, rarely put to use treating significantly volumes of patients.

Where at all possible, Dentaid encourages partner projects to purchase necessary resources within their own countries or regions, thus stimulating the local economy and encouraging sustainability.

Unfortunately, particularly in many low-income countries, specialist equipment for regional treatment centres is simply not available. In this instance, and only if appropriate to the needs of the community, Dentaid can provide a wide range of equipment resources to help establish services. However, Dentaid’s long-term goal is to work with manufacturers and suppliers to ensure that in every country regional treatment centres can purchase (and receive ongoing support for) necessary equipment from commercial suppliers.

Dentaid attempts to advocate and persuade projects towards a primary health care approach to dental care provision and will only provide clinical equipment to projects who can prove that it is both needed and part of a holistic oral health programme serving the local community.

Dentaid also works to utilise its engineering capacity and skills to develop specific products that will aid the appropriate provision of dental care in middle and low-income countries.