All smiles for Northland as new dental hub opens for business

A $750,000 dental hub blessed at Kaitaia Hospital this week - the first of four such facilities for Northland - aims to improve the oral health of children in the region.
The four-chair state-of-the-art dental unit will treat the teeth of about 750 children annually, providing preventative care, diagnostic services, restorative services and education to children and their families.
The rate of dental decay in Northland children is nearly twice the national average.
The other three hubs are planned for Kawakawa, Rawene and Whangarei.
Two new mobile dental units were delivered to the region earlier in the year, with another mobile unit due to arrive in September.
Hub construction and introduction of the mobile dental units follows Government approval nearly two years ago for $4.88 million funding to upgrade child and adolescent oral health services in Northland.
Northland District Health Board oral health adviser Neil Croucher said a "hub and spoke" dental service would be provided by dental therapy teams working out of mobile dental clinics  and supported by dentists and dental therapists working in fixed clinics.
The hubs would enable a "one-stop shop" community-based oral health treatment, prevention and promotion service for the 0-17 age group to develop over the next few years.
"The local community will now have a central point of contact for their children's oral health needs and concerns which will complement the already existing 0800 MY TEETH (6983384) freephone number," Dr Croucher said.
The new Kaitaia Hospital dental clinic will operate during normal office hours on most weekdays.
It will also function as a base for the team of dentists, dental therapists, dental assistants, educators, promoters and administrative staff working throughout the Far North.
"In some ways children, adolescents and their parents will now have a choice," Dr Croucher said.
"Mobile dental units will still visit most schools on an annual basis, so parents can either wait until a mobile unit comes to their own school or they could now make an appointment for their children's annual check up at the hub to coincide with a family shopping trip or a doctor's appointment."

 A small percentage of children and adolescents requiring more specialist care may still need to travel to Whangarei Hospital.
Northland DHB chief executive Karen Roach said more qualified staff had been recruited and for the first time in 10 years the health board had a full complement of dental staff.