Dentists, hygienists and office staff from a Kelowna dental clinic have recently provided free dental care for dozens of children. The care was organized by the charity East Meets West. They have sought to provide dental care to children that were in desperate need of oral healthcare. Their actions will hopefully have a positive long-term impact on their oral health.
Dentists, hygienists and office staff from a dental clinic in Kelowna have given up their time to volunteer for a program led by a local charity.
The volunteering resulted in dozens of children receiving access to dental care. This group of children had existing barriers to receiving dental care [1].
This positive action helped many people, and should improve the long-term oral health of vulnerable children.
Poverty in Kelowna
The dental workers come from Kelowna, Canada. They were able to help young people to receive dental care.
Kelowna is a city which has high rates of child poverty. For example, research shows that 12.2% of children aged 0-17 in the Kelowna Central Metropolitan Area were living in poverty in 2020 [2].
Therefore, this makes a place like Kelowna a highly suitable location to provide free dental care, with many children living in a situation where dental care is unaffordable.
The free care
The free dental care was organized by the charity East Meets West [1]. They were joined by a team of dentists, hygienists and office staff from Kelowna-based Access Dental Care.
They provided almost 60 children with free cleanings and check-ups – which are crucial for oral health.
Cleanings can help to remove the build up of plaque, which reduces the development of tooth decay. A check-up allows a dentist to take an overall look at the oral health of the child.
For some of the children, this marked their first visit to a dentist. There are various possible causes for this, though avoiding the dentist is bad for oral health.
Rahul Virk, chair of East Meets West, says that the organization’s “mandate has always been children’s health and education” [1].
Moreover, Virk has pointed out that the timing is crucial, especially due to “the influx of people into Kelowna lately”, which means “there’s a lot of children missing the basic needs of dental care” [1].
On top of the free dental care, all of the children were provided with an electronic toothbrush – which will hopefully be heavily used!
Why are some children not receiving dental care?
It is concerning when there are cases of some children not receiving dental care. Vikas Raj, a dentist at Access Dental Care, discussed potential reasons behind this.
Raj said that “one of the very important reasons [is the] economic burden” of dental care [1]. This is a common concern across Canada, with cost being a large barrier for many.
Moreover, Raj said that many don’t understand the importance of dentistry, which is unfortunate, as he points out that “dental health really matters a lot for well-being as well” [1].
Raj says that “we are not only helping kids here, we are trying to educate the parents as well for future dental care” [1]. Therefore, they hope that their work will also raise awareness to parents of the importance of their children’s oral health.
There is also the suggestion that some children are afraid of the dentist. However, Sharon Boscoe – a mother of one of the children receiving the care – has said that “it teaches them going to the dentist isn’t scary” [1].
Furthermore, Boscoe said that “it teaches them healthy habits and my daughter loved it” [1]. Clearly, the treatments had a very positive impact.
Summary
This is a very positive action from the staff at Access Dental Care, and has helped many children that were in need of receiving dental care.
Hopefully, their actions will also serve as a reminder to parents of the importance of oral health in children. The aim is for these parents to now make more regular visits to the dentist with their children.
But while this is very positive to see, it also serves as a reminder that there are many places across Canada where children are in desperate need of oral healthcare – but do not have access to such services.
Overall, these are positive steps being taken, and will hopefully provide long-term benefits to the children that received the dental care.
Thinking points…
1) Do you have children? If so, make sure you are aware of the importance of children having regular check-ups. Check-ups provide a dentist with the chance to take a look at the oral health of their patient, and suggest treatment if needed. You can underline to your children the importance of attending the dentist by visiting at the same time as them. We recommend booking an appointment for both you and your children now!
2) We mentioned that many people find cost to be a significant barrier to receiving oral healthcare. Therefore, it is useful to know that here at our Calgary dental clinic Savanna Dental, our prices are set in line with the Alberta Dental Fee Guide. This makes our prices transparent, competitive and reliable. To find out more about us, you can visit our website https://savannadentalclinic.ca/! We hope to see you soon!
What we offer at Savanna Dental
Savanna Dental is a dental clinic based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. We provide our patients with a range of treatment options and advice, with the aim of improving oral health and boosting overall wellbeing!
We advise our patients to attend our Calgary-based dental clinic twice a year for a dental check-up. If any problems are detected, we have many treatments available. For instance, these include cavity fillings and root canals. To try and prevent problems, it is important to brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss regularly.
Here at Savanna Dental, we also have some cosmetic treatments available! These include dental implants, tooth whitening and Invisalign™! Our patients find that these treatments have a positive impact on their appearance, confidence and self-esteem.
In addition, the fees of our services at our Calgary dental clinic Savanna Dental are set in line with the Alberta Dental Fee Guide.
We would love you to visit our Savanna Dental clinic in Calgary! You can find out more about us by visiting our website https://savannadentalclinic.ca/!
References
[1] Morton, S. (2024). Smile 24: Local dentists donate time, services to provide free care to kids in Kelowna. Available: 28th June 2024. https://globalnews.ca/news/10540177/smile-24-local-dentists-donate-time-services-free-care-kids-kelowna/.
[2] Barnes, G. (2023). Child poverty rates drop below provincial average in Central Okanagan. https://thegoldenstar.net/news/child-poverty-rates-drop-below-provincial-average-in-central-okanagan/. Available: 28th June 2024.
