Dental service dropping into Eidsvold

Eidsvold patients seeking dental treatment will be seen by a visiting Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service oral health team in December.

PEARLY WHITES: The Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service oral health team is visiting Eidsvold in December. Picture: Ingram Publishing

EIDSVOLD patients seeking dental treatment will be seen by a visiting Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service oral health team in December.

The dental van provides free pre-booked appointments to Queensland residents who hold a current pensioner concession card, healthcare card, Queensland Seniors Card or Commonwealth Seniors Card.

Dependents who are listed on these cards are also eligible.

WBHHS Acting Oral Health Operations Director Leigh Boyle said it was a great opportunity to see a dentist, who are notoriously tricky to access in rural areas.

"Dental services can be difficult to access in rural areas such as Eidsvold, which is why we are offering these close to home for locals from Eidsvold and the surrounding area,” Mr Boyle said.

"Demand for the service will determine how often we visit in the future, but during the December visit we will be providing general dental appointments for eligible patients who make a booking.

"If those appointments reveal patients requiring emergency work we will also make those arrangements.

"We already have a number of patients on our list to see, so it is important that people do pre-book to either be seen on this visit or on a future visit to Eidsvold.”

WBHHS chief executive Adrian Pennington said the provision of dental care at Eidsvold was one aspect of the service's commitment to providing care closer to home for residents of rural communities.

"It's fantastic to provide these dental services to Eidsvold residents as providing care closer to home is not only convenient, but leads to better health outcomes,” Mr Pennington said.

"Improving access to care is something local communities from the North Burnett region raised throughout our recent Your Health, Your Say community forums and when we spoke with the Eidsvold community they raised their need for improved local dental services.”

Queensland children who are four years of age or older and have not completed Year 10 of secondary school receive dental care via Queensland Health's Child and Adolescent Oral Health Services.

Persons not fitting the criteria for public oral health services should seek dental care from a private practitioner.

To be seen by the oral health team on this or future visits, eligible Eidsvold and district locals requiring an appointment should call the Gayndah clinic on 4161 3525.