Successful pilot scheme

In the 10 weeks since it was launched in December, The Real Junk Tooth Project in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, has treated more than 50 people who were suffering severe dental pain and could not access NHS care for a variety of reasons.

The clinic, held at Dewsbury Dental Centre on Thursday evenings, has seen a steady stream of patients and the volunteer dentists have extracted more than 40 teeth.  One patient required seven extractions and another had five teeth removed.  Some patients had been in severe dental pain for months and were finding it difficult to eat and sleep. The dentists, led by Nick O’Donovan who owns the practice, have also applied dressings, given oral health advice and prescribed antibiotics.

The project was launched by international dental charity Dentaid after it became aware that many people in the UK were suffering long term dental problems that were affecting their health.  They also wanted to stop people from taking drastic measures like extracting their own teeth.