18 Sep, 2025
Bringing Smiles Directly to Our Communities: The Impact of The Fono's Mobile Dental Clinic
Since launching our mobile dental clinic, we've been witnessing firsthand the transformative impact this service is having on families across Auckland. At Ako Adventures Early Childhood Centre in Manurewa, the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
"Our mobile dental clinic is making a real difference for children who've struggled to access dental care," says Gillian Wilson, The Fono Dental Services Manager. "By bringing these services directly to early childhood centres, we're removing many of the obstacles that prevent families from accessing timely dental care for their children."
We're seeing exactly this impact at centres like Ako Adventures. "Working with The Fono's mobile clinic has been fantastic - they've made everything so easy for us." says Anshoo, Ako Adventures Centre Manager. “The Fono has been quite flexible with us too - they've been willing to work alongside our timetables, and so it's really helpful when you've got children under five."
That's exactly what we set out to achieve. For many families in South Auckland, accessing dental care involves significant challenges - taking time off work, arranging transportation, and navigating busy clinic schedules. Our mobile clinic eliminates these barriers by meeting families where they are.
The children at Ako Adventures have fallen in love with "Aunty Tia," The Fono’s Oral Health Promoter. "The kids just love her" Anshoo explains. "She's so friendly, and she's been amazing to deal with. She just made this whole entire process really, really easy."
Rather than being intimidated by the clinic, most children were excited about the "big truck" and eager to explore what was inside. "They were all very excited to go inside and it kind of became a little trip to share with their friends," Anshoo recalls. "And after the clinic had left, they kept talking about it. They were like 'where's that big truck, we want to see the big truck again.'"
The impact goes well beyond dental visits. Tia's educational presentations about healthy teeth and eating have inspired curriculum changes at the centre, with children becoming more interested in healthy eating and learning about their bodies.
"Overall it's been really valuable for our families. Life gets busy for them and often it's hard to find time to make sure that they can take care of the home, take care of baby, do all the appointments," Anshoo observes. "Our families have been so grateful - it's one less thing they have to juggle."
We also provide care packages with toothbrushes, toothpaste, and educational materials, plus guidance on preventing future dental issues.
Anshoo adds, "At our centre, our main objective is to reduce barriers, and if that means having a dental clinic come to us and that will help our families, that's a huge deal for us because we want to make sure that healthcare is accessible for everyone."
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