A new dental clinic has opened at the Auckland City Mission to deliver lifesaving dental care for those that need it most - free of charge.
Nearly half of Kiwi adults are skipping going to the dentist because they can not afford it, according to the latest Ministry of Health annual survey.
Research has shown that it is costing the country billions of dollars a year in lost productivity and quality of life with constant pain, serious infections, and hospital admissions.
Dentist Dr Hugh Trengrove says the new clinic at the mission has been a dream of mission staff for more than a decade and several years in the making to get to this point.
Dentist Dr Hugh Trengrove in the new free dental clinic at the Auckland City Mission. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
Dr Trengrove said dental care was out of reach for many adults and the clinic was hoping to change that, offering the service to the people who already used the mission's services.
"Nobody wants to come to see the dentist, but for the first time ever many of these people will have an opportunity of choosing to come and see the dentist."
The clinic is mostly funded through donations, enough to cover equipment and a full-time dental assistant.
The patients' care will be covered through a Ministry of Social Development dental grant, which allows patients to access up to $1000 of dental care.
The new free dental clinic at the Auckland City Mission. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
But there were exceptions and Dr Trengrove said they will assess each patient on a case-by-case basis.
He is part of a group of 17 dentists who have come onboard to volunteer their time at the clinic for free.
The clinic, which will be open three days a week, was focused on accommodating all cultural, sensory, and accessibility needs for patients.
"It's a safe place for them we're going to provide a service that's based around the individual needs of the patients.
"It's not only providing dental care, but it's providing care in a holistic supported environment where we understand the true needs of the people accessing the care."
The new free dental clinic at the Auckland City Mission. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
Auckland City Mission director for housing and health Brendon Short said having the clinic located at the central Auckland mission will make a big difference.
"It can be very complex when you don't know where you are bedded down at night.
"It can be very complex if you have had poor experiences of healthcare services previously or general distrust of treatment.
"The people that we see often have high levels of trauma and are negatively impacted in a range of different aspects by the impact of poverty."
Tuesday was the first day of service for the clinic, and they already had a full list of patients signed up.
"We've got a lot of people lined up waiting to come into the chair when we see somebody for dental care. It's not just one appointment on average, I think people will have about four or five sessions within their treatment plan.
"We've already got a good 35 people lined up as of today and we've not even started yet."
Short said the clinic was not a silver bullet to tackle the country's dental issues, but it was a start.
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