Developing a voluntary initiative for homeless populations in general dental practice.

ABSTRACT

The number of people experiencing homelessness is increasing in the UK and their access to general dental services is particularly challenging. This is often due to the numerous barriers that homeless populations face in accessing dental services. In this article, we provide information about a voluntary dental initiative that was set up in 2020 to cater to the needs of homeless populations. We give details of how this initiative started, reasons for attendance and services provided, collaborations, financial considerations and ways in which additional support is provided to patients. We end this article by outlining our key learning points, positive impacts of the initiative and a conclusion/summary of future plans.