Members of the Gugulethu Health Committee, inspect the UWC Mobile Dental ClinicThe UWC Dental Islamic Relief Project will immediately be assisting patients with improved dental care.
Nambita Mcengwa, administrator of the project, said: “There are now plans to assist people with at least 200 sets of dentures, and soon we will be doing fillings as a mobile service as well. There are also future plans to install a state of the art X-ray machine and Wi-Fi in the mobile dental vehicle. This will ensure that patients are offered the same level of treatment in the mobile facility as at any of the UWC dental campuses.”
Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, Professor Veerasamy Yengopal, said: “These community-based training initiatives give our students the opportunity to work in the real world setting where the social determinants of disease can be used in the clinical decision-making process. We live in a province with a very high burden of oral disease. For example, in the Western Cape, 84% of children under the age of 6 have tooth decay.”
While students benefit from the experiential learning, more and more communities will soon benefit from the access to healthcare.
Nombulelo Sidyiyo from the Gugulethu Health Committee said when the mobile clinic rolls into her neighbourhood it will be a much-needed healthcare resource.
“It will make such a big difference to our old people and even the young ones because people just don’t have the money to travel to a dentist. There is a clinic in NY1, but it can just not accommodate everyone … people are getting turned away. With this van, I am excited. People of Gugulethu will see a big difference. The service of a dentist is a blessing for the elderly.”
The Faculty of Dentistry and Islamic Relief South Africa have agreed to begin talks about making the commitment a multi-year agreement, with the organisation looking to fund the project over the next five years.
