Dentaid and mydentist launch revolutionary new partnership

Dentaid The Dental Charity has partnered with the UK’s largest dental provider, mydentist, in a new project to tackle oral health inequalities and support vulnerable and under-served communities.

mydentist has pledged £250,000 to enable Dentaid to build a new eco-conscious van as part of the launch of its new mydentist Foundation. The mydentist Foundation is backed by £1 million of investment, allowing it to be sustainable and support charitable organisations and causes for the long-term, so that it can drive down oral health inequalities, improve access to dental care and remove barriers to working within dentistry for under-represented communities.

The new mobile dental unit will enable Dentaid to increase access to safe, sustainable dental care for people experiencing homelessness, harm, poverty and abuse from one of its four hubs based across England. It will be used to deliver outreach care for target populations in the UK, predominantly at hostels and temporary accommodation, community centres, family hubs, refuges and food banks. For each clinic, Dentaid partners with a local grassroots charity that provides a list of patients in need of care and supports them on their journey to better oral health.

The £1 million launch of The mydentist Foundation follows a study of 2,000 adults which revealed four in 10 Brits were unaware of the challenges faced by society’s most vulnerable groups, including women at risk and survivors of abuse, when trying to access dental care.  More than half (53 per cent) were ‘surprised’ to learn that thousands of disadvantaged people across the UK rely on charities and specialist outreach services.

Nilesh Pandya, chief executive officer of mydentist, said: “While many people take access to a dentist for granted, those facing complex challenges such as addiction, homelessness and poor health, getting the care they need can be incredibly difficult, often leading to years of untreated pain and deteriorating oral health. The findings also highlighted a lack of understanding around some of the less visible challenges people can face when trying to attend regular dental appointments.”

The study also found tooth loss (66 per cent), ongoing pain (64 per cent) and difficulty eating and drinking (58 per cent) were considered the most likely consequences of being unable to access regular dental care.

More than half (54 per cent) believed it could worsen physical health, while 51 per cent felt it could lower confidence and self-esteem. Forty-five per cent also linked a lack of regular dental care to poor mental wellbeing.

And when asked which groups should be prioritised for additional dental support, 59 per cent said families living below the poverty line.

Andy Evans, Chief Executive Officer at Dentaid The Dental Charity commented: “Dentaid the Dental Charity is immensely proud to be chosen as mydentist’s charity partner with the provision of a new environmentally conscious charity dental unit. We’ve worked together for some time now, and mydentist previously donated a van to us in 2022, which is now coming towards the end of its life. This new partnership will allow us to see a huge number of patients and deliver critical dental care to vulnerable groups across the UK. We look forward to working with mydentist and to meeting clinicians and nurses from the organisation who would like to volunteer on the unit in the coming months.”

Nyree Whitley, Chief Clinical Officer at mydentist, added: “It’s encouraging to see such strong support for improving access to dental care for those who need it most. Through our new foundation and partnership with Dentaid, we’re committed to helping vulnerable and under-served communities access the treatment they need and deserve. By supporting outreach services, we hope to help tackle oral health inequalities and reach people who might otherwise go without care. Under the mydentist Foundation, we will also support talented people from underrepresented groups to pursue careers within dentistry. This will include financial support, mentoring and development opportunities, and we will work to create new pathways into and through the profession.”