Fishermen in Poole receive free dental care at Quayside

The joint project between international dental charity Dentaid, the Fishermen’s Mission and The Seafarers’ Hospital Society (SHS) was established for fishermen who find it hard to access dental care because they work long days out at sea.

Dentaid’s mobile dental unit parked on the quayside and volunteer dental professionals offered fishermen a dental check-up as they came ashore. Treatments included extractions, fillings, scale and polish and oral heath advice. Many fishermen are not registered with a dentist and live with persistent dental pain.

“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.”