Dentaid launches 48 new clinics in Dorset

Dentaid The Dental Charity is teaming up with The HealthBus Trust in Bournemouth once again thanks to a new project to improve oral health for under-served communities in Dorset.

Thursday 3rd July marks the first of 24 new outreach dental clinics for people who are rough sleeping or vulnerably housed in Bournemouth. The project sees Dentaid recommencing its work with both The HealthBus Trust and BCHA (Bournemouth Churches Housing Association).

In addition, Dentaid will deliver another 24 clinics at The Lantern Trust in Weymouth to help meet the growing need for outreach dental care for people experiencing homelessness in the town.

The project has been funded by NHS Dorset and is part of a wider initiative to improve access to dental care across the county.

Dentaid last worked with HeathBus in 2024 and the team is delighted they can now deliver dental care at the new drop-in service at St Swithun’s Church.

We will also be visiting a range of projects run by BCHA including providing care for vulnerable women and survivors of abuse. In Weymouth we have been able to increase the frequency of our clinics from monthly to fortnightly thanks to this new project.

Jill Harding, head of fundraising and communications at Dentaid, said:

“We are receiving more and more requests for our help in Dorset and across the UK. Many of the people we see who are experiencing homelessness or in temporary accommodation have not seen a dentist for many years and face lots of barriers to accessing dental care. 

Although we have other projects in Bournemouth, we’ve really missed our clinics with HealthBus and BCHA and are so glad that NHS Dorset is enabling us to resume our work with both of these great organisations.

We know that dental care can play an important role in someone’s journey through homelessness and we think this will bring huge benefits to hard-to-reach communities in Dorset.”

Dentaid’s team of volunteer dentists and dental nurses will be providing dental screening, oral cancer checks, pain relief and emergency treatments, preventative and restorative dentistry and oral health advice.

The combined outreach service means those sleeping rough or staying in temporary accommodation can access essential dental care alongside the healthcare already provided by the Lantern Trust and Healthbus Trust, which includes outreach nursing, GP sessions and mental health support.

For more information, including how to volunteer at one of Dentaid’s clinics in Dorset or elsewhere in the UK visit:  www.dentaid.org/volunteer-in-the-uk/wwww.dentaid.org