Helping the homeless
People experiencing homelessness will benefit from a donation of 5000 toothbrushes thanks to Dentaly.org.
The company gave a grant to Dentaid to help the charity buy the brushes that will be distributed at its mobile dental clinics across the UK.
According to research, only 35 per cent of people experiencing homelessness are able to brush their teeth the recommended twice a day. Many of Dentaid’s patients either don’t own a toothbrush or are not able to replace old ones.
Dentaid’s four mobile dental units visit soup kitchens, hostels and day centres across the UK with volunteer dental professionals providing a range of free treatments for rough sleepers and those who are insecurely housed. Oral health education is a key part of the service and every patient is offered a new toothbrush and paste.
“We are very grateful to Dentaly.org for this generous donation,” said Dentaid’s CEO Andy Evans. “It’s always heart-warming to see how grateful our patients are to receive our oral health packs. Our volunteers always talk to our patients about toothbrushing and we want to ensure they have the best possible chances to look after their teeth.”
Dentaid also provides outreach dental care for head and neck cancer patients, fishing communities, victims of domestic violence, military veterans and looked after children. Many of these will also benefit from the Dentaly.org brushes.
“We were glad to have this opportunity to support the invaluable work that Dentaid is doing for homeless people and others in need around the UK,” said Dentaly.org COO Amanda Napitu. “A clean toothbrush is something that most of us take for granted, but such a simple commodity makes a huge difference to basic oral health. As Dentaid not only distributes these brushes but also educates their patients about oral hygiene, their work has a lasting impact.”
To learn more visit www.dentaid.org or https://www.dentaly.org/en/