Program Overview

Outback Oral Health Program

Project

The Outback Oral Health Program was established in 2013 through a partnership between the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Invetec, and the Gonski Foundation. The program aims to address chronic oral health problems in rural and remote communities in NSW by delivering 128 dental therapy clinics each year to the communities of Bourke, Lightning Ridge, Collarenebri, and Goodooga.

These communities were identified as some of the most disadvantaged in the state, with low socio-economic factors combining with a lack of dental services and fluoridation of drinking water to adversely affect their oral health. Charles Sturt University, as the largest annual supplier of dentists and oral health therapists to rural NSW, was invited by the RFDS to collaborate in the program.

The program offers dental and oral health students the unique opportunity to work inside the program, providing valuable clinical experience and meeting the need for clinical assistance for trained dentists. This enables the program to be delivered and provides students with a chance to give back to the communities that have worked with Charles Sturt University to create a rural dental program.

Campus

The program is available on the following campuses:

• Albury-Wodonga
• Bathurst
• Dubbo
• Orange
• Wagga Wagga

Lead Centre

The program is led by the School of Dentistry and Health Sciences.

Partners

The program is partnered with the following organizations:

• Royal Flying Doctor Service
• Investec
• Gonski Foundation
• University of Sydney

The program's goal is to provide oral health services to disadvantaged communities while offering students a unique clinical training opportunity. By working together with partner organizations, the program aims to make a positive impact on the oral health of rural and remote communities in NSW.