Community Service Projects

Primary Oral Health Care Project (POHC) for School outreach Activities
Project leader:	Prof P J van Wyk Email: pjvanwyk@medic.up.ac.za
Locality:	Pretoria Claremont, Gauteng
Purpose of project:	Students render a community-based service according to the principles of Primary Oral Health Care (POHC). The mobile Oral Health Care Unit is being utilised in this project. Both Oral Hygiene and Dental students are involved with the purpose of exposing students to the oral health needs of the community. This project also contains a community-based training component.
Transnet Phelophepa Health Care Train
Project leader:	Prof P J van Wyk Email: pjvanwyk@medic.up.ac.za
Other contacts:	Transnet Mobile Health Care, P O Box 72501, Parkview, 2122
Locality:	Rural communities in South Africa
Purpose of project:	Students render a community-based service according to the principles of Primary Oral Health Care (POHC). Both Oral Hygiene and Dental students are made available to Transnet for a period of six weeks to provide a basic oral health care service to rural communities on the Phelophepa Health Care Train.
Clinical preventive service
Project leader:	Miss S J Booyens Email: sbooyens@medic.up.ac.za
Other contacts:	Mrs R C du Bruyn
Locality:	Oral and Dental Hospital, University of Pretoria
Purpose of project:	To improve the oral health of all patients visiting the clinic. The preventive service is rendered by Oral Hygiene students in the Oral and Dental Hospital to all patients who have a need for this service.
Specialist clinics
Project leader:	Miss S J Booyens Email: sbooyens@medic.up.ac.za
Other contacts:	Mrs R C du Bruyn
Locality:	Oral and Dental Hospital, University of Pretoria
Purpose of project:	To improve the oral health of all patients visiting the clinics. The preventive service is rendered by Oral Hygiene students in the Oral and Dental Hospital to all patients with facial cleft deformities and other specialised treatment who have a need for this service.
Paedodontic Preventive Clinic
Project Leader:	Dr Y Kolisa Email:  yolanda.kolisa@up.ac.za
Locality:	Oral and Dental Hospital, univeristy of Pretoria
Purpose of the project	To enhance preventive and promotive services to the children patients especialy prior and after general paedodontic treatment and dental general anaesthesia (DGA). The aim is to maintain a disease free mouth. The service is rendered by the Oral Hygiene students
Educational and preventive service to preprimary schools
Project leader:	Mrs R C du Bruyn Email: rene.dubruyn@.up.ac.za
Other contacts:	Miss S J Booyens
Locality:	Greater Pretoria
Purpose of project:	To improve the oral health and oral health knowledge and to establish preventive procedures at a young age. Oral Hygiene students visit preprimary schools in Pretoria on a weekly basis where the message of preventive dentistry and oral health is conveyed with the assistance of puppets.
Preventive service at the Pretoria Academic Hospital
Project leader:	Miss S J Booyens Email: sbooyens@medic.up.ac.za
Other contacts:	Mrs R C du Bruyn
Locality:	Pretoria Academic Hospital
Purpose of project:	To render an oral hygiene service to patients in the spinal unit, children’s wards and intensive care. Oral Hygiene students visit the different units on a weekly basis to improve oral health and to assist patients to maintain their oral health during their period of hospitalisation.
Educational and preventive services to mentally and physically disabled children
Project leader:	Mrs R C du Bruyn Email: rdubruyn@medic.up.ac.za
Other contacts:	Miss S J Booyens
Locality:	Greater Pretoria
Purpose of project:	To assist mentally and physically disabled children in maintaining their oral health. Oral Hygiene students train children to maintain their own oral health while at the same time it improves the confidence of students to work with these children.
Gauteng Oral Health Services
Project leader:	Mrs R C du Bruyn Email: rdubruyn@medic.up.ac.za
Other contacts:	Oral Health Services, Gauteng Provincial Government
Locality:	Clinics and schools/preprimary schools in greater Pretoria
Purpose of project:	To expose/introduce Oral Hygiene students to the Public Health Services. Oral Hygiene students take part in this project as part of their community-based training as well as to expose them to public appearance. Co-operation between the Faculty of Dentistry and the public oral health services is enhanced through this project.
Hammanskraal tooth-bleaching project
Project leader:	Prof P J van Wyk Email: pjvanwyk@medic.up.ac.za
Locality:	Hammanskraal, Gauteng
Purpose of project:	In the Hammanskraal area many children are found with dental fluorosis stains which are aesthetically unacceptable. Mico-abrasion with hydrochloric acid and pumice provides a very cost-effective way to bleach these teeth to an acceptable white colour. The service is rendered in conjunction with the mobile primary health care project for Hammanskraal.