Flying dentists provide care to Australian Outback

The Outback Oral Treatment and Health (TOOTH) dental program recently launched by Australia's Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) is providing dental care to remote communities with unmet needs, especially to indigenous Australians.

The $2.5 million effort is being provided by Australian specialist bank Investec, according to the RFDS.

Nearly 40% of Australians cannot access basic dental care when they need it, the RFDS noted in a press release.

In its first year, TOOTH will conduct 256 dental clinics, half of which will treat children in New South Wales, serving a vital need for the estimated 1,000 school-age children with caries.

Here are the services TOOTH has provided so far:

• Provided care at 57 dental health clinics
• Performed 1,025 services, including 618 preventive services, 174 fillings, 147 extractions, and 13 root canals
• Treated 417 patients, including 168 indigenous Australians
• Found that more than half the patients had been unable to access dental care for more than two years
• Found significant levels of untreated caries, particularly among children
• Provided more than $78,000 worth of care
• Completed training clinics for dental students from the University of Sydney and Griffith University