On Saturday, March 26, in The Delft Dental Practice at Ireneboulevard 54 several vulnerable residents of Delft were treated free of charge for various dental treatments.
Following the example of Rotterdam, where a dental day had already been organized for the second time this year, a Delft dental day was organized for the first time last Saturday by the Delft Dental Practice. This day was realized in close cooperation with the Delft food bank.
The human rights organization Dokters van de Wereld has found that as many as one and a half million Dutch people do not have enough money to pay the dentist or dental hygienist. Good oral care is important for everyone. Bad teeth can cause a lot of personal suffering. Basic insurance does not cover dental costs and supplementary insurance is too expensive for many people.
The Foundation Urgente Noden Delft e.o. also sees a growing number of applications coming in for financial help to pay for acute and urgent dental care. One can speak of a growing social problem. Dentists throughout the Netherlands want to do something about this. Dentist Day is one of the actions, in which attention is drawn to this problem.
Delft Dental Practice has opened its doors to all Delft residents since early 2021. As part of our vision, we want to contribute to a sustainable solution for vulnerable people in our beautiful city, who are unable to afford dental costs. "As a dentist, I would like to do something about this. Moreover, by organizing Dental Day, I want to advocate for a structural solution to this ever-growing social problem," said Merve Can.
On the first dental day in Delft, people with all kinds of acute pain and/or dental problems were helped. Mina Masoumi says people were helped with fillings, root canal treatment, tooth removal and other dental treatments. Patients were greatly relieved after the treatments. They showed great appreciation and enthusiasm for the free treatments. "Of course, this only solves part of Delft's dental problems. The day is also there to draw attention to the need for expansion of the basic health insurance," says Merve Can.
Next year in Delft, hopefully then on a larger scale, another dental day will be organized. The Delft Dental Practice looks back on a very successful day. In any case, we will contribute again next year.
This report appeared in part on Delft on Sunday.