Dental
Our dental program continued to deliver much needed dental care to our community , despite challenges with COVID-19 lockdowns and funding .
We prioritised emergency care , launched our Smile Squad program providing free dental care to schools in Merri-bek and extended dental screening and education for high-risk children .
Managing complex dental issues and long waitlists due to covid lockdowns was a significant challenge .
A key indicator of our service performance is how quickly we respond to emergency dental needs . We report on this using a Dental Health Services Victoria ( DHSV ) tool that classifies patient needs into categories 1-3 , according to urgency .
What did we achieve ?
2790 patients supported
1911 people removed from waitlist , up
138.23 % from previous year launched our Smile Squad school program
advocated for more dental funding to Dental Health Services Victoria , local MPs and the Victorian Health Minister
56 children from
13 different language backgrounds received dental screenings
8 playgroups secured education through The Little Smiles Program
3-year extension of The Little Smiles Program through our Merri-bek City Council partnership
received additional funding to reduce waitlists via vouchers to engage the private sector
13 % above target for Category 2 responses for emergency care and
14.8 % above target for Category 3
Challenges
• managing complex dental issues due to covid lockdowns
• 18.5 % reduction in the number of patients supported on the year prior due to COVID restricted services
• high rise in demand for dental care and wait times , we currently have an eligible population of 46,000 and only 4 chairs to service this population
• 20 % under target for Category 1 responses for emergency care
What ’ s next ?
• rolling-out our Smile Squad school program around Merri-bek
• implementation of Oral Health Educators to our workforce mix
• continue to advocate to the State Government for more dental chairs and ongoing funding to service them
SMILE SQUAD DELIVERS
HEALTH SERVICES
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