Dentaid has sent a team of dental care professionals to Calais to offer dentistry to migrants and refugees.
Five dentists from Dentaid were part of the team that offered 150 people in the Jungle Camp, home to more than 4,000 people, a chance to have an examination and receive oral health advice, including receiving leaflets, toothbrushes and toothpaste.
‘We saw many people who had been suffering dental pain for a really long time,’ said Kiran Ismail, a pharmacist who led the first emergency dentistry trip to Calais after she formed the group Manchester Refugee Crisis.
‘They were very grateful that we went to help.
‘There were some challenges in setting up the dental clinic but once word got round we had lots of people who came to see us for treatment and advice.’
Dentaid box
Dentaid provided a Dentaid box to the volunteers, a portable surgery that can be used without water or electricity.
The charity is now looking to send more teams of French registered dentists to help those in the Calais camps.
‘The conditions in the camp are very basic,’ Kiran Ismail continued.
‘There are a couple of taps but they are shared by a lot of people so it’s hard to get water for toothbrushing.
‘There is a medical centre but no dentistry and we saw lots of people who were frustrated after being in pain for so long.
‘We had a caravan that we used as the surgery and a marquee was the waiting area.
‘It was an intense experience but everyone was incredibly thankful.’
Dentists who have permission to practice in France and particularly the Calais region are asked to contact Dentaid on 01794 324249 or to find out more about the charity visit www.dentaid.org.
To donate £5 that will support Dentaid’s work in Calais please text Teeth Calais to 70660.
