NZDA encourages dentists to give back

On Thursday the 17^th of July Dr. Mike was part of an NZDA initiative to offer free dental treatment to people who have avoided dental treatment.

The programme, supported by Colgate, saw many patients treated over the two days (17^th & 18^th July). The event was held at AUT’s School of Oral Health with four shifts of four dentists donating their time for half a day to treat these patients. Assisted by final year dental health and therapy students, they extracted numerous teeth, placed many fillings and carried out emergency jaw and gum treatments. The patients were also given instruction in oral hygiene and diet.

The main reasons for previous lack of care were anxiety and cost. An interesting fact that came out of the experience was that 40% of New Zealanders didn’t realise sugars cause tooth decay. Also, 50% of New Zealanders thought decay was inevitable!