General News
20 August, 2024
Major milestone for RFDS dental team in the North West
The Flying Doctors have now treated 20,000 dental patients in Queensland.
Twenty thousand mouths are a lot of teeth and gums to treat but that’s the exact number the Royal Flying Doctor Service’s mobile dental unit has racked up over more than a decade of service in Queensland.
It was at one of the state’s more remote locations in Camooweal where the achievement unfolded, with local Sharna Anderson registered as patient number 20,000.
Sharna, who’s used the service over a number of years, said she was surprised to hear so many people had been fortunate enough to utilise mobile dental care from the RFDS.
“I have always found the service to be convenient and all the staff are just so welcoming,” she said.
“Camooweal is a long way from a lot of things, which includes dental care, so I make sure I plan around the dental truck arriving so me and my family can all get the same sort of dental care you’d get in the bigger regional centres.
“It really is an amazing service.”
RFDS Queensland executive general manager of nursing and clinical services Lee Poole said the success of the mobile dental unit was as much about the patients who used it as the staff who provided the service.
“We really do have a long list of regular patients who make sure they’ve planned to see the mobile dentist whenever the truck arrives in town,” Mr Poole said.
“For them, it’s a vital health service they simply can’t do without.
“Of course, demand for the service is beyond what we can deliver, which means we’re always looking for new and innovative ways we can get to more people.
“The big picture plan is to one day have a second mobile dental unit operating and when that day happens, we can look forward to restoring even more smiles across Queensland.”
The service is a fully equipped surgery featuring state-of-the-art equipment including an orthopantomogram machine.
Services include oral health maintenance, x-rays and extractions, treatment for acute or existing conditions, gum disease treatment and referral to specialist dental services.
The RFDS Queensland mobile dental service was launched in 2013 with the support of the QCoal Group, QCoal Foundation and the Australian government.