A West Belfast community organisation has launched a new initiate offering free dental services for nursery and primary school children.
Foodstock, which is on the Andersonstown Road, announced details of 'Wee Smiles' on Friday, which will be held at weekends and will include fun and educational sessions aimed at motivating children and parents to maintain good oral hygiene and increase dental awareness.
Speaking about the new project, Foodstock founder Paul Doherty said: "Dentists are not immune to the massive pressures being placed on our health service and through my work at Foodstock I have been speaking to many parents who have struggled to get their children registered with local NHS dentists due to long waiting lists and many dentists retiring or leaving NHS practice after years of underfunding.
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"People are growing increasingly concerned and anxious at the inability to access dental care when required, for many people private treatment simply isn’t an option due to the large costs associated with it and many hardworking dentists in this area are really struggling to keep up with demand to their services, with practices only able to accept and treat so many patients.
"We all know how important it is that children regularly attend the dentist from a young age, with poor dental health having a wide range of potential negative consequences from developmental issues to struggling at school and can even lead to serious health and other problems later in life.
"With the huge demand for treatment in this area I decided to explore if anything could be done to help the situation from a community perspective. After speaking to a number of dentists locally I am delighted that Foodstock has now teamed up with Dr Shweta Lokhande and team to offer free dental clinics for children at our hub as well as providing dental hygiene and educational packs.
"Dr Shweta cares passionately about community and preventative dental awareness for children. This will be a fun experience for both parents and children attending and we look forward to welcoming families to the hub later this month.
"This is another example of the community coming together to tackle a problem and need that exists here and I believe it will make a significant difference to children and their families who have been struggling to get the preventative care they need. No child should have to go without regular dental care and this is another great example of the community stepping up to fill a vacuum created by the political failure to properly invest in dental care."
Dr Shweta Lokhande said: "Our primary focus is to create awareness and educate the parents and children of the community about the preventative measures for caries control, the importance of good oral hygiene and to encourage them to inculcate healthy oral habits.
"The interaction with children in their foundational years has a major impact on them as they are curious and want to know more and more. Using their early years as an opportunity to teach them is the most effective way to achieve the desirable change."
Parents can avail of appointments for Wee Smiles by contacting Paul Doherty at Paul.Doherty@FoodstockCharity.com or by phoning 07794304259.
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