Dentaid supports vulnerable in busy week across the North
More vulnerable people in the North of England have been given access to free dental care thanks to Dentaid The Dental Charity, which has launched new three new clinics in Preston, Manchester and South Tyneside in the space of one week.
Our mobile dental unit made its first visits in support of several different charity partners between Tuesday 18th and Friday 21st November.
A busy week began in Preston on the 18th where Dentaid’s dental surgery on wheels made its first visit to Market Place, caring for those experiencing homelessness and harm in the city as part of a partnership with Preston City Council.
The same day saw the first of two clinics in as many days at the South Tyneside Adult Recovery Service, where volunteer dentists and dental nurses provided treatment service users at the charity’s main recovery centre Cookson House.
Among the patients seen were those who have suffered long-term damage to their teeth and gums because of substance misuse, along with those who have faced issues accessing regular dentistry or a lack of confidence in coming forward for treatment.
STARS, which is delivered in partnership by Waythrough and Spectrum CIC, works with a range of health, mental health, adult, children and young people’s social care, criminal justice agencies, voluntary and community sector services to develop each of their service users’ individual road to recovery.
Finally, on November 21st, we provided dental treatment to men and women experiencing homelessness at the Embassy Village development in Chapel Street in Salford.
The purpose-built Embassy Village project provides 40 homes for vulnerable people seeking accommodation, a village hall and community hub. The project aims to give those sleeping rough with an experience of managing their own home in a supported environment, with specialist help on how to budget, shop, cook and find work.
Jill Harding, Head of Communications and Fundraising at Dentaid The Dental Charity said: “To visit three new clinics in one week and work with so many people who face real challenges in accessing oral healthcare means a lot to us.
“People who are vulnerable and recovering from addiction can face additional challenges and complications stemming from dental pain, and for these particular groups it can be hugely difficult for them to see a dentist at all.
“It also goes to show how important our new Northern Hub is in ensuring that we can go to areas where the need for our services is most important.
“We’d like to thank Preston City Council, STARS and Embassy for their support in allowing us to carry out this important work and we look forward to returning for more clinics in the New Year.”
Amy Youngm, Health Inequalities Team Manager at STARS, said:
“It’s been great to see the positive impact the mobile dental unit has had on the people we work with. We have had comments so far that the work they have had done on the unit this week has been life changing to them and improved their confidence.
“Some residents across our borough experience health inequality which need to be addressed, and working alongside Dentaid is supporting with this work.
“We are proud to partner with Dentaid to be able to offer this to those who need it most to help improve their quality of life, because they’re worth it.”
The mobile dental unit is set to return to all three areas for clinics between December 2025 and January 2026.
For more information on how to apply for future volunteering opportunities, please visit https://www.dentaid.org/volunteer-in-the-uk/.