Solihull Hospital Charity celebrates launch of mobile dental van at local primary school

Solihull Hospital Charity is hosted the official launch of its Mobile Dental Unit at Kingshurst Primary School on 20 March, which was World Oral Health Day and this year the campaign is focusing on ‘a happy mouth is a happy mind.’

The hospital charity has funded a new dental unit for the Solihull Hospital Community Dental Team. The team visits primary schools around the Solihull borough to ensure children from all backgrounds have access to the best dental care possible. Going to the dentist can often make us feel anxious and this can be due to the unnerving experience we have as children. The hospital charity wanted to change this and help children view the dentist differently, making it less daunting and significantly improving their oral hygiene.

The unit includes the best dental equipment and has been designed to suit the needs of children with learning difficulties, as well as being wheelchair friendly. It is bright and colourful to make it feel less clinical and help children feel more comfortable when coming to their appointments. The van also includes additional features and sensory equipment such as a ceiling projector which helps to distract children who may be feeling stressed or anxious about visiting the dentist. These sensory items help calm the young patients and are particularly beneficial for children with more complex needs, such as children on the autistic spectrum.

Nicki Williams, Principal Dental Nurse for the Solihull Community Dental Team said, “We are extremely grateful to Solihull Hospital Charity for providing us with the fantastic new dental unit. It has enabled us to continue visiting children in the Solihull borough and ensure they receive the dental care they need. The additional features make a huge difference and help children feel less anxious and afraid about dental care and really encourages a positive relationship with the dentist from a young age.”

For many children across Solihull, access to dental surgeries can often be difficult and for children with complex needs, access to treatment can be even harder. This unit has made a massive difference to the local community, bringing dental advice, examinations and treatments to children in primary schools within the borough of Solihull, including the most deprived areas.

The dental van is currently situated at Kingshurst Primary School, where the dental nurses are seeing children on a regular basis, helping to improve the oral health of young people across the area and reducing their anxieties around dental health for the rest of their lives.

Acting Headteacher at Kingshurst Primary School, Shelley Mitchell said, “Having the dental van based at Kingshurst Primary School is a really useful and well utilised provision. It offers our families convenient and prompt access to dental health care. There is no need to take children out of school for lengthy appointments, children can be seen during the school day, avoiding missed learning time and leave of absence from work for parents. Our children enjoy visiting the dental van, it eliminates the fear and anxiety often associated with visiting the dentist as it is onsite. The dental team have become familiar faces in school, and this provides welcomed reassurance to both children and their families. We are really grateful to UHB Charity and the Trust for providing this service at Kingshurst and can see the positive impact it has for our children and families.”

One of the parents said, “The dental nurses are so friendly and really good with my child. Taking her to a regular dentist, was more challenging and she’s been a lot happier going to the Dental Van. She needed several appointments and is now confident to go on her own without me. I’d recommend the van to other parents and other schools.”

Her daughter said, “The dental van is good. They have helped me with my teeth and how to look after them. The dentists are kind and I feel safe going there.”

For more information about Solihull Hospital Charity and the different ways it supports the Solihull community, click here.