The paediatric dental team at East Surrey Hospital has been nominated for a First Community Partner of the Year award for the work they have done to improve dental care of travelling, homeless and refugee children.
Linda Viner, senior dental nurse for paediatric dentistry; Thayalan Kandiah, Clinical Lead for dental and maxillofacial services (Consultant in paediatric dentistry) and the paediatric dental team at SASH began to support travelling, homeless and refugee children in March 2017 in partnership with First Community’s homeless health visitor team.
Linda said: “We support families who have no access to dental care. The work we do is so important because early intervention and education about dental care and diet can help to prevent dental issues later on which can affect confidence.”
Mr Kandiah said, “We are delighted to have been nominated for this award by First Community. It is a privilege to be able to help these children who would otherwise not be able to access dental care and to make such a positive difference to their lives.”
Lisa Gavin, who leads First Community’s homeless health said:
Since March 2017 Mr Kandiah and his team have assessed and treated more than 50 homeless children, including from the gypsy and traveller communities, families fleeing domestic abuse, children from war-torn countries such as Syria and people in local homeless hostels. Alongside the treatment, the team provides dental education and advice for both the children seen and siblings, which has shown a significant improvement in the children’s teeth.’
If you would like to help a travelling, homeless or refugee family to access dental care for their children, please contact First Community.
