Renishaw supports dental care charity

Bridge2Aid was founded in 2004 to improve the training of health workers in rural areas of East Africa, where a lack of access to basic emergency dental care is a serious problem. In the developed world, there is one dentist for every 2,000 people. In contrast, in Africa, there is one dentist for every 150,000.

Dental pain can be debilitating, but visiting a dentist is not a possibility for everyone. Over 110 million people in East Africa have no or limited access to emergency dental care. Those with dental pain may suffer for months and years, which could impact their work, health and family life. Dental infections can even be life threatening. The training programme was developed in response to this recognised need.

Bridge2Aid’s training programme involves volunteers from the UK dental community visiting rural health workers in Tanzania to embed new skills into the primary health care system. The training covers emergency dental care and how to deliver oral health education to people in the community. After completing the course, the clinical officer is then able to provide care and treatment to their local communities using a kit provided by the charity.