The Dental Services Unit is taking oral health care straight to children and teens at summer camps. Their fully equipped mobile dental bus will visit several camps in the north of the island over the next few weeks.
The programme aims to make preventive dental care easier for children to access during summer break by offering screenings and basic services right at their camps.
Services include oral health screenings, dental cleanings, and basic treatments like fillings.
Cheryl St Cyr, a dental hygienist with the Ministry, explained that while mobile dental services have been offered in schools and community settings before, the dental bus takes these efforts further.
“We have always had mobile clinics in schools, at churches, at community centres, so that we can do cleaning for people, for children, whoever that would need it,” St Cyr said.
She said the ministry has usually worked with schools, churches, and community centers to offer dental care outside its regular clinics.
Now, with the mobile dental bus, the Dental Services Unit can bring a full dental clinic right into local communities.
This is the first time the programme is being offered at summer camps, giving children and teens a chance to get dental care while enjoying their summer activities.
St Cyr said the mobile service adds to the ongoing work of the Dental Services Unit, which still visits schools and other places to provide care.
She also said that a main goal is to help children and the wider community understand why good oral hygiene matters.
“Our teeth help us to speak. Our teeth help us to eat properly,” she said.
She also pointed to the role oral health can play in a person’s confidence and appearance, particularly when it comes to smiling and interacting with others.
The summer camp visits are expected to continue over the next few weeks as the mobile dental bus makes its way to various camps in the northern part of the island.
The initiative also provides an opportunity for the ministry to reach children during a period when they may have more flexibility to access preventative care, while also introducing them to the importance of regular dental check-ups and good oral hygiene from a young age.
The Dental Services Unit is hopeful that the programme can eventually reach beyond the current summer camp locations.
“The dental services unit within the Ministry of Health is hopeful that in the future they will be able to expand the mobile dental services to more summer camps in various communities around the island,” she said.
For now, the focus remains on bringing accessible dental care to children participating in summer camps in the north, while using the mobile dental bus to strengthen the ministry’s wider efforts to promote preventative oral health care across Saint Lucia.
