In the spirit of Christmas and better dental health, Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV) is giving dental packs to the homeless community through The Father Bob Maguire Foundation.
Fr Bob Maguire, who was recently honoured as DHSV Smile of the Year, said the crusade to improve oral health of Melbourne’s homeless will be combining oral health education with their community work.
“We want to keep teeth and mouths healthy and these toothbrush and toothpaste packs will be distributed at our resource centre along with other necessities,” Father Bob said.
Across the state, 1,809 patients who visited Victoria’s public dental clinics have identified as homeless in 2013/2014, an increase of 34% compared to the previous year.
DHSV CEO, Dr Deborah Cole said actual numbers were believed to be higher, due to the social stigma associated with being homeless.
“Becoming homeless is not as simple as just losing a house to live in,” said Dr Cole.
“It involves a huge number of personal and social challenges, and access to healthcare and dental care is a large part of that.
“Poor oral health is linked to chronic diseases including heart and lung diseases, and we’re actively working to turn this around by improving dental access for Victorians most in need.”
Father Bob said improving oral health also involved feeding the homeless community with nutritious food.
“We give a healthy feed to whoever needs it through our HopeMobile; our tucker is healthy because good nutrition is important for your teeth and general health.
“Drinking fluoridated tap water over sugary drinks will help reduce tooth decay and gum disease caused by sugars, and I’ll be encouraging our folk to do just that.”