FISHERMEN GET FREE DENTAL CHECKS

FISHERMEN GET FREE DENTAL CHECKS AT THE HARBOURSIDE THANKS TO EXCITING NEW CHARITY INITIATIVE
The fishing community in Cornwall, Brixham and Poole were left smiling thanks to an exciting new initiative from the Seafarers Hospital Society and the Fishermen’s Mission where fishermen get free dental checks. These two long-established maritime charities are working together with community dental providers Smile Together and Dentaid, to deliver free dental health checks where fishermen get free dental checks and follow-up treatment to local fishermen and their families. It’s difficult to get dental treatment when you work at sea and dental health is often neglected, so making it easy and affordable is a top priority.
Lysanne Wilson, Health Development Manager at The Seafarers Hospital Society, explains: “Dental health is just as important as physical and mental health, but when you’re out at sea it’s really hard to fit it in. We’re making it easy by bringing free dental treatment to the harbourside, so it fits around the fishermen and their busy working lives. By working in partnership with the Fishermen’s Mission, who closely support fishermen and their families, and community dental providers Smile Together and Dentaid, we can make a real and lasting difference to the fishing community.″
Cornwall and Devon
The first of what they hope will be an extensive programme of dental checks took place over 10 days at the end of June in six harbourside locations across Cornwall and in Brixham in Devon. Funded by the Society, the SmilesAtSea initiative took volunteers from Smile Together on a two week tour in a fully equipped mobile dental unit. The tour covered Newlyn, Hayle, Newquay, Padstow, Mevagissey and Looe before finishing in Brixham.
Keith Dickson, Senior Superintendent for Fishermen’s Mission, South West said: “Fishermen have traditionally experienced problems accessing health services due to the nature of their job and the irregular hours they work. This harbourside dental service enables the crews and their families to drop in and have a check-up, something they probably haven’t done in years.”
In total 115 patients were seen by the team, including 11 wives and partners. They were all screened for oral cancer, given oral health packs and offered toothbrushing and dietary advice. Just under half received immediate dental treatment including scale and polish, x-rays, extractions and fillings. 40 patients were referred on for further treatment, provided locally at a subsidised rate.
The feedback from patients was overwhelmingly positive, not only about the treatment but also about the service. One grateful patient summed it up: “Excellent service, very friendly, informative and FREE!” Another confessed to feeling nervous: “I was very nervous about coming as I’m always worried about the dentist. The ladies were all really friendly and made me feel at ease.”
The Seafarers Hospital Society funded all aspects of the service at the harbourside, which means that it was absolutely free. Any follow up treatment was also covered by the charity, with patients just paying a standard NHS contribution.
Nicola Barr, Clinical Director for West Country Dental Care, the community dentistry arm of Smile Together, said: “Access to dental care is one of the biggest health challenges in our region so we are really pleased to receive funding from the Seafarers Hospital Society to enable us to mobilise and tackle the issue, to go further into our communities to help those who need us most.”
Taking advantage of the opportunity to capture fishermen on their home turf, free NHS Health Checks from Healthy Cornwall were also available in some locations. Covering height, weight, body mass index, blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol, these checks are used to calculate the risk of developing major diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease and dementia.
Dr Caroline Court, Interim Director of Wellbeing and Public Health at Cornwall Council who commission Healthy Cornwall, added: “We are delighted to be working with Seafarers Hospital Society, Smile Together and the Fishermen’s Mission to reach people who might otherwise not see a dentist or doctor. Helping individuals to make good choices about their lives and health is an important part of our work.”
Poole
Hot on the heels of SmilesAtSea, a similar initiative took place in Poole harbour at the beginning of July. This time the service was provided by Dentaid, an international dental charity working with the Seafarers Hospital Society and the Fishermen’s Mission for the first time.
Nick O’Neill, Superintendent for Fishermen’s Mission South Coast, said “Dentaid treated seven very grateful fishermen in Poole, saving them time and money and preventing needless pain too. That has to be good for the fishermen and good for business too.”
Feedback from fishermen was incredibly positive: “I haven’t seen a dentist since I was 12 and I’ve become so self-conscious about the state of my teeth that I cover my mouth with my hand when I talk to people,” said the first patient, Pete Williams, who had a scale and polish and filling on the mobile unit. “I would have liked to go to a dentist but if my appointment was on a good day for fishing I would have to go out to sea otherwise we’d have no money. I often work 18 hour days and fishermen don’t get paid time off for dental appointments. As my teeth got worse I worried I’d need lots of visits to the dentist so I just put up with it. The mobile unit coming here has been brilliant because I can get everything done in one go.”
Some of the fishermen who visited the mobile clinic said the cost of dental care was a barrier to them accessing treatment. “I was registered but I couldn’t afford to keep going,” said fisherman Dave Green. His nephew Dan Green who had two painful teeth extracted added: “I’ve had toothache for so long but I can’t get to a dentist. As a fisherman I find it very hard to find time and money to look after myself. There are lots of issues affecting us like homelessness and poverty so getting to a dentist isn’t ever top of the list.”
“We were very pleased to provide fishermen in Poole with dental care on our mobile unit and understand some of the difficulties they face accessing treatment,” said Dentaid CEO Andy Evans. “The mobile unit takes dental care right to the communities who need our help and we hope we can now visit other fishing communities around the country.”
The bigger picture
These two initiatives are part of a larger dental health care project being piloted by the Society in partnership with the Fishermen’s Mission. Lysanne added: “We have a programme of free dental checks and treatment that we’re currently rolling out across the South West and elsewhere, using Smile Together and Dentaid to deliver the service. The response so far has been excellent and we’re very excited about the prospect of doing more.”
To find out more about the dental health initiative and where it will be going next, visit www.seahospital.org.uk/dental-health-checks/ or contact Lysanne Wilson by email lysannewilson@seahospital.org.uk or phone 020 8858 3696.