In 2018 University Hospitals Birmingham Charity appealed to fund for a major £115,000 project, the Mobile Dental Unit. Thanks to the generosity of the Charity’s fundraisers we are proud to announce that the Mobile Dental Unit is now built and ready to change the way that children view the dentist, making it less daunting and scary whilst significantly improving their oral hygiene for the future.
The Solihull Hospital Community Dentists currently visit schools around the Solihull borough to ensure that children with the highest levels of tooth decay and the lowest attendance rates with local dentists still receive the best dental care possible.
UHB Charity set up the Mobile Dental Unit appeal to help fund the brand new unit for the team. This service will offer dental advice, examinations and treatments for children at primary schools in the most deprived areas in the Solihull borough. Currently the unit has been designed to fit the needs of many children such as children with learning difficulties as well as being wheelchair friendly.
However, for children with complex needs such as those who are on the autistic spectrum (ASD) this can still be a very intimidating place to be treated. Such children are highly anxious and exhibit behavioural reactions when exposed to a clinical dental environment such as the bright fluorescent lights, sharp and painful injections into the mouth and the smell of unfamiliar utensils.
The Mobile Dental Unit may look impressive for many of Solihull’s children, but for some it can still be a frightening visit. UHB Charity wants to make the unit the best it can possibly be by including sensory items that can make the dental treatments as efficient and comfortable as possible for patients with developmental disorders, examples include:
• A projector/TV screen in the unit to act as a visual distraction for when children are waiting to be examined.
• Video goggles to protect the eyes and distract the patients during a dental examination.
• A local anaesthetic wand which is a computer controlled dental injection. The flow rate of the local anaesthetic is controlled by a computer meaning that it is guaranteed to be slow and steady therefore reducing the standard sharp, uncomfortable pain for our young patients.
With the aid of items such as this to the unit, the dentists will be able to treat their patients without causing them distress.
With the help of your donations, the Solihull Hospital Community Dentists will have access to specialised equipment that suits the needs of their younger patients. It will enable children, especially those with complex needs, to be treated as comfortably and as smoothly as possible. This will help to improve the oral health of children across the area, and reduce their anxieties around dental health for the rest of their lives.
Support this appeal by donating at the top of the page.
