Significant progress in dental clinic plan

The $3m rollout of new dental clinics across Taranaki is well under way.

Approval for the six oral health centres and three mobile dental units for the region's 20,000 under-19-year-olds was confirmed last year.

The "hub and spoke model" is the replacement for the region's ageing school dental service and part of a national upgrade.

"Significant progress has been made on the implementation of this new service over the last three months," Taranaki DHB services planner Warwick Gilchrist said.

The first clinic to open was the Te Henui oral health service, based at New Plymouth Girls' High School.

The second, at Rangiatea in Spotswood is due to open in September.

Health Minister Tony Ryall will be invited to attend the formal opening for both the four-chair clinics on September 9.

The third clinic, at Manukorihi Intermediate, is to be finished this month and the fourth, at Inglewood Primary School, is to be completed in September.

The fifth in line will be part of the Stratford integrated family health centre, due to be completed in December.

Agreements with the schools getting mobile services on their sites were being finalised, Mr Gilchrist said.

The first of two mobile dental trailers has been ordered but delivery has been delayed because of safety concerns with the design of the steps.

The re-design has meant delivery, originally in November, has been delayed by three weeks.

Meanwhile, the hospital's dental unit is to be modified for the first time since it started in the early 1990s.

- © Fairfax NZ News