Over 450 Luton children who had never seen a dentist before visit pop-up dental clinics

More than 450 children have visited pop-up dental clinics in Luton as the council tries to reach youngsters who have not been to a dentist before because of the pandemic.

Luton Council, in partnership with Flying Start, Early Years Alliance and Obex Dental, held six pop-up dental clinics for children under the age of eight in the past three months. Children were taught about oral hygiene through activities and storytelling.

Since the first clinic on April 13, 472 children have been seen by the team, and 81 have registered with Obex as NHS patients.

Little Gems Nursery in Wigmore was the most successful of the events so far – with 126 children turning up.

Councillor Khtija Malik said: “Holding these dental pop-up clinics is so important for the children of Luton. Many of these children may have never seen a dentist before, whether that’s due to the pandemic or just the sheer difficulty of registering with a dentist on the NHS at the moment.

"Dental decay is largely preventable, and so we want to ensure that all children in Luton have the best chance to have good oral health, regardless of their income.”

A father of two who went to one of the clinics said: “This is a great idea, my seven-year-old has never been to a dentist, it has got so bad that I planned on taking him to Poland to see a dentist in the summer. I am glad I had this to come to.”

Details about the next clinics can be found on the council’s Facebook and Twitter.