Keeping bush communities smiling
A rural Victorian football netball club could be considered an unconventional location for a routine trip to the dentist.
However, situated in the Bonnie Doon Football and Netball club carpark - to the backdrop of Victoria’s scenic high country - is the Flying Doctor Dental mobile truck, parked comfortably under the shade of an old gumtree.
It’s just before nine in the morning, and the clinic’s door is wide open, ready to receive the first client of the day and provide a suite of essential oral health care services to eligible community members.
This time round, the mobile clinic will be in Boonie Doon for five weeks, conducting examinations and providing treatment.
The length of the stay is dependent on the complexity of needs of the community.
It’s a beautiful, albeit, unusual office.
Not for Fiona Alford-Dyt, though, who is standing with a bright smile at the truck’s entrance, admiring the undulating hills which delicately frame the nearby football oval.
As a dental assistant for the Flying Doctor Dental Clinic, this unique workspace is simply, another day at the office.
“I love it,” she says with a big, bright grin.
“Being a dental assistant with the Royal Flying Doctor Service – every day is different. No two days are the same - unlike being in a normal clinic with four walls."
"You get to see beautiful countryside right throughout Victoria.”
Flying Doctor Dental Clinic works in partnership with Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV) to provide oral health services to communities in rural Victoria.
The mobile dental team consists of skilled cohort of dental assistants, like Fiona, dentists and oral health therapists who travel between rural and remote communities to provide timely oral health check-ups and, if required, treatment.
Fiona explains the teams cover, “from the South Australian border right through to just below Bombala in New South Wales, to Cann River. A lot of high country areas and Wimmera Mallee districts as well”.
This is made possible by purpose-built mobile dental trucks which service 29 rural towns, alleviating social, geographical, and financial barriers that often stop people from accessing oral care.
“We try and do the best for our communities, in the time that we’re there,” Fiona sums up.
“I think it’s a very crucial health service."
“Dental health does get forgotten in so many ways unfortunately and, for people on the waiting list in the public dental system, it certainly takes the pressure off them having to travel an hour, two hours, to their closest local community. A lot of public transport isn’t available in the rural areas, and it does have a huge impact.
“Many people are so grateful for our services,” Fiona says.
Oral disease is a preventable health condition and is fundamental to overall health, wellbeing and quality of life.
Access to a dental practitioner for regular check ups is a large barrier to good oral health outcomes.
For many rural Victorians, public dental clinics are scarce due to the small and sparsely distributed populations and a lack of private dentists - leaving many communities with difficulties in accessing care.
“There are a lot of towns in Victoria, and you have to travel through a lot of them to get to major towns. I think that’s a big factor, for sure,” Fiona explains.
“I suppose, obviously the more remote you go, like Murrayville, over near the South Australian border and Bonang and Bendoc, near the New South Wales border, they’re quite a distance away from any main town. Bonang and Bendoc are two hours to Orbost, which is the closest big town for them and even then, there is no public dental there.”
Growing up on a property near West Wyalong, in southern New South Wales, Fiona has long harboured a deep admiration for the work of the Flying Doctor in rural and remote communities across the country.
“The Flying Doctor has always been pretty close to my heart,” she reveals.
This, paired with a life-long passion for adventure and travel - and the tales of a close friend already working for the Flying Doctor - helped Fiona realise a lifelong career aspiration.
“I’ve travelled through so much of the country, throughout New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory. So, I’ve always loved remote work.
“I knew one Flying Doctor nurse, she still is with the Flying Doctor in Queensland, and she’s always been a bit of an idol for me.
“Thinking I’d have to go into nursing to work with RFDS, never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be able to work as a dental assistant with them.”
Then, in 2021, Fiona saw an opportunity to join the team.
“I saw the position advertised, I put my hand up and here I am three years later, still on the road.
“Being able to pop on these wings,” Fiona gestures to
the RFDS logo on her shirt, “is an absolute privilege”.
Working from a mobile clinic presents some specific requirements for the job that differs to a traditional clinic. Having a knowledge of truck driving, vehicle maintenance and how to pack down equipment are all essential elements for a smooth day.
For Fiona, who now holds a heavy ridged truck license, it’s all part of the fun of working on the road.
“If you’re on the set-up shift, truck movements is a huge component of our position,” Fiona explains.
“Getting the truck level – we have levelers that we have to use – and sometimes you’re on power, sometimes you’re on a generator, like we are here at Bonnie Doon. All the equipment that we use in the dental truck needs to be securely strapped in during transportation, and then just setting up the complete clinic ready for operations and clinic for the next period.”
While the travel appeals to Fiona’s adventurous spirit, it’s ultimately the daily dental work that sustains a passion for caring for rural Australians.
“There’s been a lot of rewarding days,” she starts.
“There was one particular lady in Koondrook. She had a caravan at Echuca which had gone under with the floods that had gone through. She had a house in Koondrook, which at Christmas it had burnt down to the ground. She was also a widow.
“She came in for treatment - glorious lady - and we just happened to mention something about coffee and she told us where the best coffee shop in town was, and next thing you know, about half an hour later, she’s come back with two coffees, two pieces of carrot cake.
“She was so grateful for our service, and you know it doesn’t matter how life impacts you, her attitude to life was so positive and energetic and on that day it was just a morale booster.
“It’s stories like that along the road that keep you going.”
“I’ve always admired the Flying Doctor Service – Australia wide – never did I think I’d be working with them. It’s pride, taking pride in what you’re doing and representing the overall look of RFDS Victoria and nationally," Fiona proudly states.
Our impact
99% of surveyed clients told us Flying Doctor Dental Clinic made it easier to access dental care
98% of surveyed clients told us that staff were courteous and polite
98% of surveyed clients told us they felt listened to during their appointment.
Of those with tooth or gum pain before their appointment, 93% told us FDDC relieved their tooth or gum pain
Learn more about the work of Flying Doctor Dental Clinic, here.
To find out more about the impact our programs and services are having on rural and regional communities, access Our Health and Community Impact report.
This story was captured on the lands and waterways of the Taungurung people.
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