Dental drive about to hit the road

A mobile dental health unit is about to hit the road in central Northland offering state-of-the-art care and surgery to more than 2500 children in at least 12 mid-North schools.

Health Minister Annette King will launch the dental bus, provided by Ronald McDonald House Charities, at Pakaraka Primary School, north of Moerewa, on Wednesday.

The US-built service, which comes with two fully equipped surgeries, will be operated and managed by Northland Health dental staff. The area has one of the worst rates of children's dental decay in the country, nearly twice the national average.