Keeping communities smiling

We have run these outreach programmes for a number of years in the Bay of Plenty, Hawkes Bay, Northland, Vanuatu and Samoa.

The free service, run as a training exercise known as Exercise Wisdom Tooth, is aimed at those who hold a community service card. Treatment includes a clean and scale, fillings, x-rays and extractions.

The team also run sessions at local schools to help highlight the importance of good oral health and healthy lifestyle choices, and provide defence career information.

In 2019, a combined team of military and civilian dentists went to the Cook Islands Community Centre in Flaxmere to provide oral health care information and dental care and treatment.

750

patients seen with more than 2000 treatments

The numbers from Exercise Wisdom Tooth in Kaitaia, Northland gives a sense of the scale of the exercise. In just two weeks, 750 patients were seen with more than 2000 treatments conducted. 

The service is appreciated by many people who often go to extraordinary lengths to ensure they can take advantage of the skills of our dentists. In 2018, Exercise Wisdom Tooth headed to Epi Island, Vanuatu where Army dentists saw more than 300 people and carried out more than 400 teeth extractions in five days. 

“When we heard the New Zealand dentists were coming, the village head asked us all, who is having dental problems? I had to work on the land for one day, to get the money to come by truck,” said Lepet Fakumaly, Nuvi Village, Epi Island, Vanuatu.

“Apart from supporting communities, these outreach activities also provide an opportunity for our personnel to practise their skills in a field environment, as part of their ongoing training”

• Lieutenant Colonel Lee Turner, Officer Commanding of the NZDF’s Dental Services

The contingents are a mix of Regular Force personnel and Reservists and includes dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, medics, career advisors and physical training instructors.