Royal Borough of Kingston Cares (RBKarers), a Kingston-based charity, has secured a £5,000 grant, which allowed it to arrange for a mobile dental unit to be brought to Norbiton.

Dentaid The Dental Charity will provide one of its fully equipped units over the coming months. According to Kingston Nub News, the charities hope that the dentist will be able to see up to 10 patients a day across the four planned sessions.

In 2022, RBKarers launched its monthly Wellbeing Day events, which provide essential healthcare advice. Reflecting on these events, the founder of RBKares, Dr Kate Kenyon, said, "What quickly became evident when we held our first Wellbeing Day event in May last year was how oral hygiene is such a neglected element for our guests, yet has the power to have a significant negative impact on their mental as well as physical health."

Munir Ravalia, a local dental surgeon, commented, “At a time when so many of those most in need are struggling to access the NHS dental system and its preventative programmes, the cost-of-living crisis is exacerbating the decline in oral health and having an onward devastating impact on overall health levels.

"Most vulnerable communities leave dental problems until they physically can't handle the pain, relying dangerously on painkillers and leading to chronic conditions. Unable to find an NHS solution, they end up in Accident and Emergency, putting additional pressure on our struggling hospital resources. It's a recipe for disaster, and essential facilities such as this dental bus, therefore, have the power to change lives for the better."

Kate added, “Despite dental issues being exceptionally difficult to live with, we've seen first-hand that oral health isn't always valued in the same way as other medical conditions. Given the difficulties so many of our Wellbeing Day guests face in accessing affordable dental care, we know that being able to introduce the dental bus to the vital services offered at our Norbiton events will be genuinely life-changing for so many local residents.

"We know the demand is out there, and these Dentaid bus spots will be snapped up in no time as we prioritise the severest cases. However, whilst the reach of this grant really is just the tip of the iceberg, our resourceful team of RBKares volunteers will continue to do everything we can to secure additional funding to allow us to treat even more vulnerable people in need of dental support."

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