Kingston-based charity RBKares has secured a £5,000 grant from The Brothers Trust which will allow them to add a dental bus to their fast-growing roster of wellbeing services. 

Thanks to the funding, RBKares has been able to arrange for dental charity Dentaid to bring one of its mobile oral health units to Norbiton over the coming months.

Whilst the partners hope the visiting dentist will be able to see up to 10 patients across each of the four planned sessions, the severity of local needs means that many of those receiving care may need up to three hours of treatment each. 

The dental development comes a year after RBKares first introduced its successful monthly Wellbeing Day events, whose essential services have become a firm fixture for hundreds of local residents since last May.

Given the strong link between deprivation and wellbeing, the charity's successful pop-up wellbeing events are organised around the weekly Tuesday lunch club run by Cambridge Road Estate Community Group (CREst) at Norbiton's Queen Mary Hall; a community kitchen and food bank that supports vulnerable residents in one of the borough's most deprived areas. 

RBKares pop-up wellbeing events have become a vital community service

Explaining how the new dentistry facility will be an invaluable resource for vulnerable members of the community, Dr Kate Kenyon - the founder of RBKares - said: "What quickly became evident when we held our first Wellbeing Day event in May last year was how oral hygiene is such a neglected element for our guests, yet has the power to have a significant negative impact on their mental as well as physical health." 

Having inspired local dental surgeon Dr Munir Ravalia to help assess the oral health levels across the Cambridge Road Estate - ranked among England's 20% most deprived neighbourhoods – they identified a desperate need for dental support. A high percentage of the community's most vulnerable residents – covering a wide range of ages and ethnicities – were struggling to find a local NHS dentist.

With most on low incomes, most couldn't afford private care, yet many had been experiencing prolonged pain or living with chronic gum disease. 

Health checks and benefits advice are also offered at the wellbeing events

Dr Ravalia explained: "At a time when so many of those most in need are struggling to access the NHS dental system and its preventative programmes, the cost-of-living crisis is exacerbating the decline in oral health and having an onward devastating impact on overall health levels. 

"Most vulnerable communities leave dental problems until they physically can't handle the pain, relying dangerously on painkillers and leading to chronic conditions. Unable to find an NHS solution, they end up in Accident and Emergency, putting additional pressure on our struggling hospital resources. It's a recipe for disaster, and essential facilities such as this dental bus therefore have the power to change lives for the better." 

Dr Kenyon added: "Despite dental issues being exceptionally difficult to live with, we've seen first-hand that oral health isn't always valued in the same way as other medical conditions. Given the difficulties so many of our Wellbeing Day guests face in accessing affordable dental care, we know that being able to introduce the dental bus to the vital services offered at our Norbiton events will be genuinely life-changing for so many local residents. 

"We know the demand is out there, and these Dentaid bus spots will be snapped up in no time as we prioritise the severest cases. However, whilst the reach of this grant really is just the tip of the iceberg, our resourceful team of RBKares volunteers will continue to do everything we can to secure additional funding to allow us to treat even more vulnerable people in need of dental support."

RBKares dental project with Dentaid has been funded by the Brothers Trust which was set up in 2017 by Nikki and Dom Holland, parents to four sons including Hollywood actor Tom Holland. More information on the trust can be found here.

The next RBKares' wellbeing event will take place on 11th July. For more information on the kingston charity, including their ongoing projects and ways you can donate, visit the charity's website here.