Tooth be told: Young children in Manurewa face long waits, mobile clinic brings relief

For a South Auckland dentist, the new mobile dental clinic in Manurewa is a game changer.

Dr Tess Osborne, who has been practising in Manurewa for over a year after moving to New Zealand from the United Kingdom, says there is a high demand for treatment among her patients.

"So there's a really high demand, and there's a lot of need for treatment here,” she says.

“You often see people that need just lots of dental treatment, and it's usually at a stage where it's kind of gone too far, that you're doing lots of extracting teeth and providing dentures.”

This week, a new mobile dental clinic was officially launched in Manurewa, operated by Te Fono, the country's largest Pacific-owned provider of health and social services.

The mobile clinic will make its first appearance at Polyfest on April 4-5, where attendees can visit for free oral health checks and information.

Osborne celebrates the launch and highlights the importance of accessibility.

“On the mobile unit, we'll mainly be seeing young kids, specifically those aged zero to five, going to early childhood centres,” she says.

“So I'm told there's a long waiting list for kids. It will help to relieve some of that pressure off the waitlist because you've got loads of kids in this area who've never seen a dentist before.”

Osborne (second from right) and her clinic team. Photo/PMN News/Joseph Safiti

Health Minister Simeon Brown, who grew up in Manurewa, says the clinic is one of seven being rolled out nationwide to address long-standing gaps in dental care access.

"It's all about targeting where the most need is to make sure that we're able to provide better access for our young people to get that dental care that they need," he says.

"It’ll be going to early child education centres, schools, churches and providing the health care where people are.”

While the previous government funded the capital costs of the mobile clinics, Brown says the current government is committed to operational funding to ensure they are fully staffed and efficient in delivering services.

"This Government's increased health funding significantly in each budget, and we've done that because we know that all New Zealanders need to access timely and quality healthcare,” he says.

“That funding is to continue and to grow so that we're able to deliver more care for children so they can get that dental care that they need.”

From left, Dr Richard Sullivan Chief Clinical Officer for Health New Zealand, Rima Nakhle MP for Takanini, Health Minister Simeon Brown, and dentist Dr Tess Osborne at the new mobile clinic. Photo/PMN News/Joseph Safiti

Tevita Funaki, Chief Executive of The Fono, states that the clinic has been in development for years.

"It's been more than two years,” he says. “It's been a journey. This was approved in Budget 2022, and we've been patient in terms of working and ensuring that the truck is actually designed to what we actually want and how we actually want to take that out to the community.

“It's been a long time coming, and we're just grateful that it's here.”

Funaki says access remains the biggest challenge for Pacific communities.

"Access is a big issue for us and understanding what's available. I think there's still a gap around health literacy, around oral health stuff.

“So this mobile truck gives us the ability to get out to where our communities are.”

Tevita Funaki (third from left). Photo/PMN News/Joseph Safiti

Labour MP for Manurewa, Arena Williams, who also attended the launch, shares her concerns about access and affordability.

"I see the effect of these healthcare services that the whānau run as a local MP all the time,” she says. “It's not just a model that deals with someone's healthcare as they present it in an ordinary appointment.

“It's a holistic service that deals with all of the things that someone has going on in their lives and deals with the underlying health issues.”

Williams welcomes the minister’s commitment to ongoing funding but questions whether the Government will fulfill its promises.

“We know that this Government's record is to cut health funding and to make it harder to access some of those services, particularly in our regions,” she says.

“So Labour will be fighting for accessible healthcare services like dental into the future, and for Manurewa, that's a priority for me.”

(left to right) Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board member Li’amanaia Lorenzo Kaisara, Manurewa MP Arena Williams, EFKS Reverend and Panmure-Ōtāhuhu MP Jenny Salesa. Photo/Arena Williams Facebook

Osborne supports the need for universal dental healthcare, saying, “The system's not working.

“You have people in wealthy areas who don't need any treatment because oral health is tied a lot to socioeconomic factors.

“So having a fully privatised dental system just doesn't help with that because it's not subsidised at all for adults.

“That would be something I would encourage to find a model that would allow that to happen.”