“We were inundated with calls, inundated with people coming in off the street asking if they could make an appointment,” Walsh-Tapiata said.
However, she felt that they “only touched the tip of the iceberg.”
Cliff Dental dentist Paris Butters, who has been working at the clinic for two years, said she has never seen the waiting room so packed.
“Everyone was so excited and really grateful for this day.”
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Iwi providers organized a list of patients who were booked in for hour-long sessions, and dentists performed extensive work such as extractions, fillings or restorations.
“We did as much as we could during that time.”
Cliff Dental dentist Paris Butters says better oral hygiene education needs to be provided to improve oral health. Photo / Eva de Jong
Butters observed that most of the patients in her office made appointments only when they were in pain and could not afford regular follow-up visits.
This meant that patients often underwent more complicated or traumatic procedures, such as extractions or root canal treatment.
Most people at the clinic hadn’t been to the dentist since elementary school, she added.
“I would say it was pretty similar to what I see here, and I wasn’t surprised.
“The costs are so high that people don’t want to come here unless they really have to.
“And when they come, in most cases it is too late.”
Cliff Dental practice administrator Santana Takurua said she has seen 53 patients at the clinic.
“We performed 43 extractions, 23 fillings and 23 hygienists.”
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Butters said she has seen cases of people performing their own extractions to avoid paying for a dentist visit.
This usually resulted in the tooth breaking off and the nerve dying, with half of the tooth remaining in the bone.
– They still have to come and get the rest.
Walsh-Tapiata said the clinic has seen cases where people who have already lost teeth chose to have their lower teeth extracted and fitted with a plate or denture.
The service was organized by Te Hononga – a group of health community leaders funded by Te Whatu Ora – and was a collaboration between Ngāti Rangi, Te Oranganui Trust, Cliff Dental and the New Zealand Defense Force.
Walsh-Tapiata said she felt the clinic’s success was because it was run by Māori iwi hauora (health care) providers serving primarily Māori patients.
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Visitors to the clinic commented that they “felt relaxed” with Māori music playing, she added.
“They told us we were really pleased that you as a collective or providers of iwi hauora Māori organized this because we knew you and felt comfortable with you.”
Aquilla Ngahere is treated by New Zealand Army Dental Officer Mary Engelbrecht at a free mobile dental clinic in Whanganui. Photo / Eva de Jong
Walsh-Tapiata said patients were overwhelmingly grateful for the treatment.
There were 100 people on the waiting list for free visits over the weekend, but not all of them could be reached.
“We certainly still offered those who came in the opportunity to have their health checked, receive a miri (massage) and participate in a conversation with us.”
In response to a question about improving oral health in the Whanganui region, Butters said better oral health education was needed.
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Ms Walsh-Tapiata said Te Oranganui was considering ways to respond to the severity of the problem in the future.
Eva de Jong is a Whanganui Chronicle reporter covering health stories and general news. She started her reporting work in 2023.