Free dental care offered across Hampshire and Isle of Wight

People facing health inequalities across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are being offered free dental treatment through a mobile service run by Dentaid The Dental Charity.

The scheme, delivered in partnership with NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight, is aimed at people who may struggle to access conventional dental services.

Those eligible can include people on low incomes and receiving certain benefits, new and pregnant mothers, children, people experiencing homelessness, those using supported services and people referred by partner charities.

Dentaid’s mobile dental units visit family hubs, community centres, public buildings and places of worship across Southampton, Portsmouth and surrounding towns, as well as the Isle of Wight, Andover, Bordon and Basingstoke.

Dentists and dental nurses on board can provide treatments including fillings, extractions, scale and polish, fluoride varnish and X-rays.

People who believe they are eligible can request an appointment by calling 023 8001 4450.

Patients must be exempt from NHS dental charges, face a health inequality and not have seen a dentist for the past two years.

Phone lines are open between 9.15am and 3.45pm from Monday to Friday, with Dentaid now opening its books for appointments from October.

Havant MP Alan Mak visited the mobile dental unit at Havant Civic Centre on Thursday 27 August, where he met dental professionals and patients receiving treatment.

More than 13,000 patients attended outreach services on Dentaid’s mobile units last year.

In Havant alone, more than 1,000 patients have been seen since February 2024, receiving more than 7,000 treatments including extractions, fillings, oral health advice, head and neck cancer checks and support with dentures.

Alan Mak MP said: “It was wonderful to come on board Dentaid's mobile dental unit and hear directly from the dentist and dental nurse about how they can support people in real need of treatment.

"Providing care to those who are not registered at a dental practice can be extremely challenging and it is great to see a charity working hard to do just that, directly in the community.

"I will continue to do what I can to work with our NHS on improving local dental services and ensuring more people can be seen by a dentist."

Andy Evans, CEO of Dentaid The Dental Charity, said: “It was a pleasure for Alan Mak MP to see how this innovative partnership is able to take dental services directly to those who need them the most.

By helping to break down the barriers to dental care faced by many in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, we can help to create capacity elsewhere in the system.

“We are hugely grateful to our hard-working team of clinicians and support staff, who are ensuring that people who were suffering long-term dental pain and social exclusion can now get the dental care and treatment they need.”

James Roach, director of primary and local care at NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight, said:

“Our partnership with Dentaid over the past two years has helped us improve access to NHS dental care, particularly for people who may otherwise struggle to get treatment.

“We are grateful for Dentaid’s continued support in helping us improve access to dentistry across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and it was great Alan Mak MP could see first-hand the positive impact the Mobile Dental Unit is having for local residents in Havant.

“While we know there is still more to do, services like the mobile dental unit are making a real difference to communities and helping more people access the care they need. This progress is reflected across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, where 35,000 more patients received NHS dental care in 2025/26 than in the previous year.”

More information about Dentaid is available at www.dentaid.org.

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