A total of 142 residents from Klipheuwel, near Durbanville, and its surrounds received dental and sundry medical care in an outreach project on Thursday 11 April, thanks to a collaboration between the Rotary Club of Durbanville and various other organisations.

For some of the people, it was their first-ever experience of a dental chair.

The dental station, manned by 15 dental students of the University of the Western Cape (UWC), under the supervision of three qualified dentists, saw a very high volume of patients. Extractions, scaling, fluoride treatments and oral-health education were provided to children, adults and the elderly alike.

“The Colgate Dental van added vital mobile dental capacity alongside the clinical team,” said Graham Harmsworth, president of the Rotary Club of Durbanville, “bringing equipment and expertise that significantly expanded what the day could offer. For many of these children it was the first time they had ever seen a dentist.”

Volunteers and medical teams, consisting of dentists, eye-care specialists, hospice workers, nursing staff, dental students and Rotary volunteers, set four service stations up from 07:30 in the grounds of Shiloh Synergy Preschool.

The health and hospice station, supported by Tygerberg Hospice, provided blood-pressure checks, diabetes and TB screenings as well as health-education sessions.

“Patients identified as needing palliative or ongoing care were discreetly referred to Tygerberg Hospice’s support network,” Harmsworth said.

Partners made it possible

“Each partner brought something irreplaceable to the table. The UWC Dental Faculty provided 15 students and their clinical supervisors, bringing professional expertise and a deep commitment to community service. For many of these students, some residing in university hostels with no kitchen facilities, some from communities themselves affected by food insecurity, the day was not without personal sacrifice. Their willingness to give their Saturday deserves to be recognised,” Harmsworth said.

Colgate Dental Van brought mobile dental infrastructure that extended the reach of clinical care beyond what fixed facilities alone could provide.

“Their presence on the day was a powerful statement about corporate commitment to oral health in underserved communities,” Harmsworth said.

“Tygerberg Hospice anchored the health-screening station and ensured patients in need of ongoing palliative support were identified and connected to the right care pathways. Their compassion and professionalism set the tone for the entire health station.”

Spar Uitzicht and Cape King Foods donated chicken breasts for hamburger rolls and doughnuts for the volunteer and medical team’s lunch, with Polar providing ice cream.

Gaps need to be filled

“The Rotary Club of Durbanville is committed to continuing and growing this service,” said Harmsworth. “But there are real gaps that need to be filled if we are to serve more communities more consistently.

“Our dental van, used in ongoing outreach work supporting Linda Greywall’s Foundation, urgently needs additional mobile suction units. Without suction, certain dental procedures cannot be safely performed in a mobile setting, which limits the complexity of care we can offer in the field.

” Additional portable chairs would allow us to run more stations simultaneously, reducing patient waiting times and increasing the number of people we can see in a single day.

“Gloves, masks, gauze, fluoride varnish, disposable instruments; these are the unglamorous, but essential, building blocks of every procedure. Sponsorship of consumables, even on a once-off basis, makes an immediate and measurable difference.

“Catering for approximately 40 volunteers and medical staff for a full-day event is a recurring cost. Businesses willing to sponsor meals, whether through product donation or financial contribution, directly enable us to sustain the energy and morale of our volunteer team.”

He said the Rotary Club of Durbanville was in conversation with the Dental Wellness Trust, which reaches more than 30 000 children in Western Cape townships, about a formal partnership that could bring supervised toothbrushing programmes and preventative oral-health education to schools and early-childhood development centres across the region.

“The appetite for collaboration is strong, what we need now are the resources to match it.”

Clinic in Fisantekraal

“We are planning another similar outreach later, on 1 August, at the Fisantekraal Clinic,” the Rotarian pointed out. “This community does not have regular dental services, and we typically see approximately 150 patients per day. At this outreach we will also include an eye-care station. Melkbosstrand optometrist Frederik Jansen, together with four assistants, will conduct vision screening and issue referrals for further treatment. For many patients, particularly older community members, this will be their first eye examination.”

• Contact the Rotary Club of Durbanville at secretary@rotarydurbanville.co.za if your business, organisation or community group would like to sponsor mobile suction units, portable dental chairs, medical consumables, food for volunteers or wish to take part in the project.

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