— This post was written by Luke McGowan —
Recently we were really pleased to learn that the Open Wide and Step Inside (OWSI) project that TELMeD worked on with PDSE had received a second round of funding. This is obviously great news, and reaffirms the value and impact that the project is having. Nice to know, since it took a lot of effort to make!
As mentioned in previous posts, ‘Open Wide and Step Inside’ was designed to provide dental healthcare information in a fun and engaging way, to primary school children aged 5-7 years. Childhood dental health continues to be a hot topic in the media. Only today I read an article citing recent statistics which advise that around 100 children and teenagers a day are being admitted to hospital to remove rotten teeth… and a staggering 35 million pounds was spent in 2014-15 on removing them!
I enquired with PDSE’s Nicola Brown as to the measurable impact the project has had so far. She kindly provided me with some stats:
- 10 local primary schools have participated to date, this will be 25 by the end of round 2
- 477 children have attended so far and over 2,000 children will experience the film by the end of round 2
- 25 parents have attended the Immersive Vision Theatre, this will be 100 by the end of round 2
- 528 goody bags (including toothbrushes and toothpaste) have been distributed to date, this will be 2000+ by the end of round 2
- 20 teaching packs have been provided, this will be 50 by the end of round 2
More information is available on PDSE’s website and the page includes a great video which I have also included below – it gives a nice overview of the project and it does a great job of capturing the really positive reaction of the kids who have attended.The feedback received from children and teachers is that the children enjoy the story, their goody bags and the experience of visiting the Immersive Vision Theatre.
PDSE are now looking to expand the project’s reach by acquiring their own portable ‘Go Dome’, which can be used to take the OWSI project on the road whenever and wherever it is needed!
OWSI continues to be a project that TELMeD are proud to have been a part of. We really enjoyed working with our colleagues in PDSE, and we hope it continues to have a positive impact on more children’s health for a long time to come.