Anger and frustration is flaring among parents and schools over the "temporary'' closure of a mobile dental unit at Abbotsford School.
The unit, which services school pupils at Green Island, Fairfield, Big Rock, Concord and Abbotsford Schools, was closed last month because the Southern District Health Board was having difficulty recruiting enough staff to run it.
Green Island School principal Steve Hayward said principals in the area were angry because there had been no communication from the SDHB to say the unit would be closing, why it was closing and how long it would be closed for.
Principals were also angry because they believed the situation was "totally preventable''.
"What's going to happen to these kids for the next few months, or however long these [units] are going to be off the road?
"You're not going to be able to train people in three or four months.
"They should have been planning for this. It's totally preventable.''
Big Rock School principal David Grant said he had personal experience of the frustration the lack of communication was causing.
He received an appointment reminder notice for his son to attend the mobile dental unit at Abbotsford School for a checkup last week.
But when he arrived, the mobile unit was not there.
"So I rang them and they said there was no appointment for my son.
"I said I had a message from them saying my son had an appointment at 9am.
"They said they had lost staff. But I thought that wasn't really my problem.
"We're all really busy, we've all got issues. A bit of forward planning would have been good.
"It was a bit of a pain, having to travel all the way there from Brighton, only to find it had been cancelled. I was annoyed.''
Adding insult to injury, he was told the unit might have "a bit of trouble'' rescheduling an appointment for his son.
The SDHB operates several community oral health clinics and mobile dental units in the Southern district.
In Dunedin, primary and intermediate-age pupils attend either a community oral health clinic or a mobile dental clinic.
The community oral health clinics are located in Mosgiel, the Dental School and Dunedin South.
Mobile units provide services in Port Chalmers, Wakari, Portobello and Abbotsford.
SDHB oral health services clinical leader and deputy chief medical officer Dr Tim Mackay said the aim was to provide a checkup for children once a year.
However, there were some children in Dunedin who had been waiting for a checkup for more than 12 months - mainly at the Mosgiel and South Dunedin community oral health clinics.
"The main reason for overdue appointments is staffing.
"The oral health service has faced challenges in recent years recruiting and retaining staff, a number of whom have retired.
"The competition to attract new graduates and experienced therapists is high and it is difficult to fill dental therapy roles.
"As a result of the staffing challenges we are facing, a decision was recently made to remove the Abbotsford mobile unit from service while we look at recruitment and explore ways of providing the service into the future.''
Dr Mackay said the board had recently recruited three new graduates who would help address the demand for the service at the start of next year.
"Our therapists are working hard to see as many patients as possible and are focusing on those who have been waiting the longest.
"It is difficult at this stage to say when the backlog will be cleared, but our dental therapy staff are doing a fantastic job.''
He said if children were offered an appointment and could not attend, they should advise the service so another child could have it.
Should a child need urgent dental care, parents were advised to call 0800 672-543.
