Teens' lack of oral care shocks mobile dentist

Many secondary school students in the central North Island have never visited a dentist, says dental surgeon Russell Emerson.

With dental therapist Heather Dalton, Dr Emerson spends six months of the year ensuring as many under 18-year-olds as possible receive the free service they are entitled to - from a mobile van.

The service was introduced by the Ministry of Health in 2002, following discussions with the New Zealand Dental Association.

Despite the free offer, there are fears that a high percentage of teenagers are not seeing a dentist.

The service is managed by the Taranaki District Health Board and relies on dentists, who give up their private practice for months, to travel the regions in the state-of-the-art mobile vans.

Most work, such as fillings, root canals and extractions, can be carried out in the vans. Every student receives an x-ray and check-up.

Although many students do get regular check-ups, there are many more "falling through the cracks", often because they live in remote areas, Dr Emerson said.

"I have been amazed at how many students have reached high school without ever seeing a dentist.

"We had one girl who had been suffering a mouth pain for a few months. By the time we saw her, I had no choice other than to remove the tooth."

The pair travel the region in terms one and four, with the other two terms spent in Auckland working on similar programmes.

Although the pay is less than at a private practice, and there are months spent away from home, Dr Emerson said he liked working with children.

"When I was working in private practice I would see many adults who, if they had seen a dentist as a child, would not have the oral problems they were now spending thousands of dollars to fix."

He said limited resources meant many secondary school students would continue to fall through the system.

- NZPA