HealthShare NSW helps take dental care to schools

A bespoke creation from our Medical Procurement Team is making a real difference.

Date published: 01 Mar 2023

Author: Elizabeth Williams

Partnering for patients

Mobile dental vans, an innovation lead by HealthShare NSW, are helping public oral health teams assess and treat tens of thousands of school children across NSW.

“The modern design inside the mobile vans looks and feels like a dental clinic, giving the kids an exciting experience,” said Susie Giddey, Associate Director of the Medical Procurement Team at HealthShare NSW.

“Importantly they are, for the first time, equipped with all the technology you would find at a land-based clinic, which was challenging for us to design.”

The unique 21 strong dental van fleet has already reached almost 200,000 school children in metro, remote and regional communities via NSW Health’s Primary Schools Mobile Dental Program.  The program is a $70 million investment by the NSW Government.

The innovation inside the vehicles also means children don’t always need to visit a fixed dental clinic for comprehensive dental care.

“The mobile dental vans have allowed a wider scope of dental examination and treatment for children at school visits,” said Dr Josephine Kenny, the Clinical Director of Western Sydney Local Health District’s Oral Health team.

“In many instances the need for subsequent visits to a dental clinic, which would have been needed without the van facilities, is no longer required.”

The mobile dental service relies on the innovation inside the special vehicles.

HealthShare NSW Strategic Procurement Services Category Manager David Brown tapped into his expertise in the areas of imaging, ICT and engineering while working closely with William Green Pty Ltd and the Centre of Oral Health Strategy team of Graeme Liston (Director), Kara Clarke and Naomi Wilsonto, to design and create the features unique to the dental vans.

“We built and tested a number of vehicles that would be accessible to all patients and also easy for clinical staff to drive and manoeuvre,” said Mr Brown.

“Our counterparts in Victoria were so impressed with the design they also ordered a fleet to be built to HealthShare NSW’s specifications.”

The Primary Schools Mobile Dental Program is currently operating in eight local health districts across NSW.

More information

For more information about the vehicles please contact the HealthShare NSW Procurement Team via david.brown2@health.nsw.gov.au.

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