Homeless people undergo 'lifechanging' dental treatment for free in trailblazing University of Portsmouth scheme

For four weeks, some 40 people living on the streets of Portsmouth have been offered treatment from students at the University of Portsmouth’s dental academy.

Patients would attend a two-hour clinic every Wednesday afternoon at the academy’s state-of-the-art centre, in the William Beatty Building, in Hampshire Terrace.

The health scheme has been hailed one of the country’s first, bringing together trainee hygienists, dental nurses and dental therapists.

And it has transformed the life of 52-year-old Barry Wilson, of Portsmouth, who has been homeless since 2015.

Aged 46 at the time, Barry found himself living on the streets after his relationship with his wife collapsed.

He would flit from one ‘chaotic hostel’ to another – all while struggling to overcome his addiction to drink and drugs.

Fast-forward six years, and Barry’s situation on the streets has caused him to neglect his teeth, which have decayed or fallen out.

Barry was among the dozens of people in the city to attend every one of the four sessions, with the last taking place yesterday afternoon.

‘This has been a godsend, without a shadow of a doubt,’ said Barry, wearing a snazzy tie, blazer and sporting blue hair.

‘I lost my teeth through addiction and alcoholism. I was ignored on the street. But there’s no judgement here, you’re treated like a human being.

‘Out there, there are some people out there who would do nasty things to me. It is dangerous to be out on the streets. It’s scary. But here, I feel so much more confident.’

The clinic idea was the brainchild of dental academy clinical teaching fellow Janani Sivabalan, who wanted to find out what barriers the homeless faced in seeking dental care.

She said: ‘We knew from an outreach activity with the homeless run by our students before the pandemic that there was a huge need for routine dental care among the city’s homeless population, but when we opened our doors for follow-up treatment, only a tiny handful turned up.

‘I wanted to try and see if we could better understand the barriers these people face in accessing dental care, so we could help more people.’

Janani added the past four weeks helping some of the city’s most vulnerable had been an emotional rollercoaster.

‘We have had students and patients crying because they have been so moved,’ she said. ‘Students have been moved by the stories they have heard. It’s been a real learning experience for them.’

Barry said finding dental care during his time on the streets had been almost impossible and was full of praise for the team in Portsmouth.

‘The gratitude I have got, I really can’t express it,’ he added. ‘There should be more places like this because this is a lifeline for me.

‘The four weeks here has made a huge difference to my life. I feel more confident in myself. I’ve had some fillings and a lot of work. I feel so much better. I’ve had the whole shaboom.’

Naomi Shuff, 29, is in her third year studying dental hygiene, and has been part of the project. She said: ‘I have really enjoyed this experience. I would come back again and do it if I could. It has been fantastic.’

As well as offering free dental care, the university has worked alongside its in-house eye clinic service to provide extra treatment to the homeless.

In all, about 100 students, staff and volunteers have been involved in the trailblazing project.

Professor Chris Louca, dental academy director and dentist, believed the scheme was the first of its kind in the UK.to combine students from three dental disciplines and the eye clinic.

He said: ‘What we’re doing is unique. I don’t believe anybody else is offering a similar service with dental care professional students, who are dental nurses, dental hygienists and dental therapists.

‘We’re the first in the country to deliver clinics like this to the homeless that are led by dental care professional students – that’s a first, nobody else has done that… It’s a win-win all round.’

Although the four-week clinic, which has received £2,700 of funding from the Oral and Dental Research Trust, has now ended, Prof Louca was hopefully it could start again in the future.

Barry was eager to see it rolled out again and said: ‘It’s upsetting that this is the last day. Without this I would still be going round with bad teeth. Getting a dentist has been really hard. This has been a lifeline.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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