Refugees and asylum seekers

Accessing dentistry can be a major hurdle for refugees and asylum seekers seeking safety and sanctuary in the UK. A combination of language barriers, temporary accommodation and lack of knowledge about accessing healthcare systems means these communities are particularly likely to face health inequalities.

Our programmes include providing oral healthcare for refugees and asylum seekers being housed in hotels, accommodation centres and temporary accommodation across the UK. Our patients include Afghan refugees who fled the Taliban regime’s return to power and Ukrainian refugee families who escaped the war.  We often see children at these clinics.

Dentaid works closely with partner organisations, including local councils, to give our patients any extra support they need. We have access to translation services and work with support workers to ensure that patients can complete a course of treatment.

“Outside of immigration advice and destitution casework, accessing dentists is the thing clients ask us about the most. We have found it almost impossible to access NHS dentists so clients are often left in excruciating pain. To have the Dentaid bus at the drop-in really makes such a huge difference to the everyday lives of the people we support.” – support worker at Pafras Leeds.

“It was so great to see people getting help, being listened to, given care and attention and great service. That can be quite rare for those we work with. It was such a pleasure from our point of view to be able to help provide a solution for one of the problems that people are facing.” - support worker English Plus.

“My left side is painful, I have holes in my teeth, I can’t eat, drink and it keeps me up at night. I haven’t seen a dentist in years. They cleaned my teeth and filled the hole, so it feels much better now.” – Dentaid patient