ISUZU DRILLS INTO OUTBACK DENTAL PROBLEM

08 March 2011

Oral health among young Aboriginal adults and children is significantly worse than the general population in Australia. Closing the health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians - for too long - has been a nationally debated topic with real progress hard to identify, according to the Nganampa Health Council (NHC).

Actively bringing all Australians together to tackle the Indigenous health problem is the Anangu (Aboriginal) community-controlled NHC and its newly acquired Isuzu FSR 700 mobile dental surgery.

Fitted with a full suite of dental surgery tools, dentist chair, lights, digital x-ray machine, drills, sanitising utensils and sinks, the NHC Isuzu helps provide access to dental care for over 2,800 residents in Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (South Australia) lands each year.

Operating from Pukatja (Ernabella), 450 kilometres south west of Alice Springs, the NHC Isuzu mobile dental unit establishes a base in remote Aboriginal communities for days or weeks at a time, with school and adult dental programs providing a range of emergency, general and preventive clinical care and services.

Dental surgery is performed within the truck's customised mobile surgery body, which includes a waiting area and an information and consultation centre. To reduce the time taken to set up the surgery at each site, the Isuzu is fitted with electrically-operated hydraulic stabilising legs.

When there is no access to power, electricity for the on-board compressors, suction units, air conditioning systems, sinks and dental equipment is provided by an inbuilt three phase 11.2 - 38.5 kVA generator. Weighing around half a tonne, the generator takes fuel from the truck's two customised long-range fuel tanks to give the mobile dentist unit an operating life of up to 60 hours.

Replacing an older truck on fleet, the NHC's Isuzu was acquired after considering Isuzu trucks' lower whole-of-life costs and reliability, according to NHC Dentist, Dr Simon Wooley.

"We selected an Isuzu truck because it offered us the lowest maintenance and service costs (including spare parts) and a vehicle that was rugged and reliable in remote locations," Dr Wooley said.

Travelling to remote Aboriginal communities - often only accessible via severely corrugated dirt roads - the Isuzu FSR 700's performance has been favourably commented upon by operators.

"The NHC mobile dental clinic operates in extreme conditions ranging from 45 degree heat and dust storms to torrential rains and flooding creeks," Dr Wooley said.

According to Dr Wooley, the Isuzu FSR's ISRI 6860 air suspension driver's seat has also been a very well received feature on the NHC mobile dental unit.

"Operating in the outback means that we are often driving on corrugated dirt roads that cause extreme vibration inside the cab," Dr Wooley said.

"Having an air suspended seat as a standard factory feature not only reduced the cost of having to purchase and install one aftermarket, but provided a superior level of

comfort and safety while driving."

At over nine metres long, the Isuzu mobile dental surgery is manoeuvrable and easy-to-drive, according to Dr Wooley.

"Despite having heavy vehicle licenses, not all dentists who operate the truck are professional truck drivers," Dr Wooley said.

"The Isuzu FSR 700 is a very straightforward vehicle to operate. It has good visibility and is very comfortable and quiet, with noticeably little fatigue after trips between communities.

"To increase safety - in particular to aid safe manoeuvring during the setup of the clinic when it arrives in communities - a reverse camera has been fitted."

Taking over eight months to complete the body, the construction of the NHC Isuzu mobile dental surgery was carried out by local South Australian specialised vehicle body builder GSV.

Staffed by a dental surgeon and a dental assistant, the NHC Isuzu FSR 700 mobile dental clinic travels approximately 6,000 kilometres a year, visiting around nine remote Indigenous communities twice annually.

The NHC mobile dental program has provided continuity of clinical dental care for 25 years, with significant funding for the new truck provided by the National Rural and Remote Health Infrastructure Program.

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For further information, please contact:                            For Isuzu Truck releases and photos:

Jeff Birdseye                                                                       Arkajon Communications

Marketing Manager                                                              Phone: 03 9867 5611

Isuzu Australia Limited                                                         Email: isuzu@arkajon.com.au

Phone: 03 9644 6666