The $470,000 two-chair clinic at Abbotsford is one of seven mobile units which eventually will be in service, three of them double-chair units.
Two single-chair units are already used in Southland.
Southern District Health Board project manager Graham Bugler said the delay in the delivery of the final units meant some fixed clinics would have to stay in service longer than originally planned, but it would not compromise any child's care.
Production overload has caused the delays, as all district health boards redevelop their children's oral healthcare services.
As well as the arrival of mobile services in Dunedin, two new fixed clinics are being built at Mosgiel and Macandrew Intermediate schools and are expected to be ready by September.
Board oral health service clinical leader Dr Tim Mackay said the service provided at Abbotsford had received a positive response from parents.
They were appreciating greater involvement in their children's oral healthcare.
Dr MacKay said the all-year operation of permanent clinics would also make it easier for parents to find treatment if their child needed urgent pain relief.
Mr Bugler said parents were impressed by the new facilities.
While some parents would have to travel to the clinic, some were already required to do so under the previous scheme.
Under the new system, all parents receive an appointment in the mail for their child's examination, and treatment requires parental consent.
The clinics will have extended opening hours, allowing a wider choice of appointment times.
The Abbotsford mobile clinic, staffed by two dental therapists and two assistants, treats pupils who live in Abbotsford, Green Island, Fairfield and surrounding areas.
Part of the change to Otago services includes the provision of a clinic within the University of Otago's School of Dentistry.
Mr Bugler said he expected this work would be completed in August and would begin delivering a service soon after.
There are also plans to upgrade electronic patient records so there is a central database rather than records on individual laptops in each part of the service.
Mr Bugler said the project, which at one stage involved overseeing 30 construction sites and included the pads for the mobile clinics as well as the building of new fixed clinics, had been complex, but it was under budget and going well.
He indicated the board was close to reaching agreement with staff over outstanding issues relating to their terms and conditions.
Proposals for a one-off payment of $1985 to offset the effect of the loss of 23 days' annual leave and increased hours of work to 40 a week were among the issues concerning therapists' union the Public Service Association last year.
Eventually, 14 existing dental clinics in Dunedin and the Silverstream School clinic in Mosgiel will cease operation.
As the old clinic buildings are owned by the Ministry of Education, schools will decide their future use.
There will be seven fixed clinics and 18 sites for mobile clinics around Otago when the upgrade is complete.
