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You may notice a ‘new look’ Community Dental Service operating in your area,
from Kaikoura to Timaru, over the coming months.
On behalf of the Ministry of Health we are realigning the Community Dental
Services throughout the Canterbury region. The prevailing model of providing
dental care to Canterbury children from 128 school dental clinics is
unsustainable and does not reflect the changing demographics of the region or
the changes in dentistry. We have not been reducing the number of decayed,
missing and filled teeth in our community, which is our primary objective.
This is the beginning of a Canterbury-wide upgrade of what has formerly been
known as the School Dental Service. Twelve new or upgraded dental clinics are
being built, along with twenty mobile dental vans, so that the children most in
need of dental services are reached. This is expected to improve access to our
services and reduce inequalities that currently exist.
The service aim is to improve the delivery of dental care to children by making
access to check ups available at every school, increasing our prevention work
with pre-schoolers and providing this through new up-to-date facilities.

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The existing arrangements for adolescent services will not change -
click here for a list of dentists providing
free dental care for adolescents in your area.
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Given the size of the Canterbury region, communities will be targeted at
different times throughout the project. We are taking a region-by-region
approach so that the changes are carried out as quickly as possible.
We expect to contact each school to make arrangements for the mobile dental
clinic (issues such as site and access) and the decommissioning of the existing
dental clinic. An agreement (endorsed by the Ministries of Education and Health)
between the school and CDHB will formalise the arrangement -
click here for more information.
We anticipate the following dates for rolling out the project in your area:
| Kaiapoi / Rangiora area: | 1st term 2010 |
| Timaru area: | 1st term 2010 |
| Hornby area: | 2nd term 2010 |
| Hillmorton: | 2nd term 2010 |
| Burnside area: | 3rd term 2010 |
| Pages Rd area: | 3rd term 2010 |
| Woolston area: | 4th term 2010 |
| Northcote area: | 4th term 2010 |
| Lincoln area: | 1st term 2011 |
| North Canterbury area: | 1st term 2011 |
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As the project team reaches your area, Community Dental Service
representatives will notify schools of the changes. Arrangements will be made
with each school regarding sites for mobile dental unit parking and the handing
over of clinics for school use. For schools,
click here for further information from the Ministry of Education.
School newsletters will notify families when the mobile dental unit is about to
visit their school, where the local Community Clinic is situated and the changes
in processes for seeking dental care for their children. Well Child providers
will also be given information for referral of preschoolers to the Community
Dental Service. Parents will be notified by your school when the changes occur.
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The 12 Community Dental Clinic sites have been decided in consultation with
the site owners. If your school is not one that has been contacted then your
school will be one that is visited annually by the mobile dental unit. You will
be contacted and consulted with by a Canterbury District Health Board
representative well before a mobile unit visits your school.
For schools, click here for Q&As from the Ministry of Education.
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If you need to make contact with your dental therapist regarding your child's dental health, please phone the clinic situated in your nearest school or your local Community Dental Clinic.
For a list of School Dental Clinics and Community Clinics click here
For further information regarding these changes contact:
The Project Team
Community Dental Service
Sylvan St, Hillmorton Hospital
Telephone 03 335 4222