Attracting dentists to Far North Queensland has long proved challenging for many health service providers in regional areas.  After a long history of highly stable and sustained base and mobile services, Wuchopperen has too become a casualty of the acute nationwide shortage of dentists. This has had an enormous impact on our ability to be able to continue to provide continuous mobile dental services to outlying rural communities and has intermittently disrupted the availability of services in Cairns.

In response to the impact of the workforce shortage, we have persisted in recruiting, relying heavily of short-term locum dentists. Whilst only brief, their contributions to improved oral health have helped to reduce our waiting list.
 
 Efforts to recruit a permanent full-time dentist will continue.
 
 Filling the Gap program:
 
 The Filling the Gap Program is an exciting part of the solution to our ongoing challenges in maintaining oral health services. In 2005 a small group of incredibly socially minded and practical professionals offered assistance, which spawned the genesis of the Filling the Gap program.
 
 This special group of individuals use their respective and vast networks to promote the Program and recruit volunteer dentists from metropolitan areas. Dentists agree to volunteer their time to work at Wuchopperen for periods of 1 to 2 weeks.  

 The group received a welcomed financial donation which helps to cover airfares to get the dentists to Cairns.  Wuchopperen arranges registration with the Queensland Dental Board, travel and accommodation.
  
  The Program has yielded outstanding results in a relatively short time:

  Since November 2005:
  
  • A 300%+ increase in dental care provided at Wuchopperen base clinic
  • Over 600 patients treated
  • 15 dental weeks provided by the volunteers
  • 1370 dental procedures completed
  • For the period November 2005 to September 2006, 14 dentists volunteered their services
  • 28 potential volunteer dentists are expressing interest for 2007.
  
  Wuchopperen and our partners are keen to review the first 12 months of the Program. The Muru Marri Indigenous Health Unit at the University of New South Wales has been engaged to assist in the evaluation.
  
  Wuchopperen and the community are extremely pleased with the Program thus far and believe the volunteer dentists will have an impact far beyond their short visits.