The project aims to improve the oral health status, as well as bridging the gaps of accessing health services of people (adults and minors) who belong to vulnerable social groups, with an emphasis on refugees, migrants, unaccompanied minors, homeless people, and women who have survived some form of gender-based violence.
The improvement of the health status, with an emphasis on the oral health, of these people will is achieved through the operation of integrated dental and psychosocial support services from the dental clinic in the Open Polyclinic of Doctors of the World in Athens. Medical teams specialized in dental and oral healthcare as well as psychosocial support consist of both professional employees and volunteers who are engaged in providing direct services and furthermore will carry out prevention activities, informative sessions and awareness-raising activities in various social structures such as shelters for the homeless, shelters for Unaccompanied Minors and child protection facilities.
Through a well-equipped dental clinic, the aim of the project is implementing preventive dentistry and treatment of dental problems. Oral health is the mirror of people’s general health, making the role of dental care even more crucial in the general health status of an individual, be it an adult or a child.
The project aims to provide comprehensive dental care to vulnerable people by providing services exclusively to those who do not have access to dental services. It is also crucial to guarantee the social aspect of enabling access to healthcare especially for those who are found most at risk (homeless, women and children, drug users, etc.). Beneficiaries also include children who currently live in safe spaces, shelters and child protection institutions or that are found in precarious housing conditions and temporary accommodation.
The project is based on three axes:
- Access to dental care services and provision of information on dental hygiene and preventive care for vulnerable people living in the Region of Attica
- Provision of psychosocial support services, complementary to dental health, by mainstreaming referrals in public services and appropriate monitoring when necessary
- Visits to secondary social care facilities, housing programs and shelters of unaccompanied minors in the region of Attica