A PROGRAM that provides Hunter children facing hardship with access to free dental treatment and mentoring is expanding, thanks to a Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation grant.
LIVEfree Project founder and director Chris Jones said 60 children were enrolled in the Adamstown-based charity's Smile and Thrive Dental Program in November, when it received the $44,000 grant.
She said the funding has helped the program expand to 200 children and the sum would fund the equivalent of 800 visits to the dentist.
She said wellbeing officers picked up the program participants from school and took them to No Gap Smiles Adamstown Dental Surgery, New Lambton Dental Family Practice, the Awabakal Dental Service or a NSW Dental clinic.
"It enables kids to have their six monthly check ups, but it also stretches beyond," she said.
"We follow every single child through so if that child needs eight dental visits that child gets their eight dental visits, we follow it all the way through to completion.
"Some of the kids we've had ... have been super disruptive or mucking up and you actually discover they're in a whole world of pain and they've got tooth decay.
"It's not just about their oral health and hygiene but it's made a difference to their sleep, their learning and their behaviour."
She said the wellbeing officers also take the children to Grill'd Kotara for lunch and mentoring.
"They learn about how to resolve conflict, who are their safe people, what does confidence look like, how they feel about themselves, all of these incredibly important conversations...they know when a kid is having a hard time and they can pick it up."
