Hygienist builds mobile dental clinic in caravan

A dental hygienist from Devon has converted a caravan into a mobile dental clinic to help people who struggle to attend appointments at surgeries.

Former Royal Air Force (RAF) dental hygienist Tara Pile bought the 1991 Compass Shadow in October and finished converting the caravan in February.

The vehicle had leaking windows and a rotten floor which were replaced before clinical equipment was installed that needed to be signed off for dental use.

She said the mobile clinic allowed her to be "much more versatile" and do dentistry in people's homes.

Mrs Pile has been a hygienist for 20 years and said she had an image in her mind of how she wanted it to look.

"I bought her and my husband freaked out when I took it home and told him I was going to convert it into a dental clinic," she said.

"I knew what was needed, it was just trying to geographically pop it in here."

The caravan, now named Flossy, is equipped with a sterilisation unit, an ultrasonic bath and taps which can be operated by people's elbows.

"Because it's a basic surgery, you'd need a chair and you need a portable dental unit, but also you need sterilisation circuit, so everything has to run from dirty to clean," she said.

"We don't need a lot of kit, but you do need the specific equipment to have it clinically ready to go."

Mrs Pile, who is registered with the General Dental Council and has her services regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), said mobile dental care was a small industry but it could help people have healthier teeth.

She said: "We can make it more accessible and less inconvenient.

"Clinics are busy and they're booking nine to five every day, but sometimes people need to be seen of an evening or weekend - that's where he can come in.

"We can come to your own home and treat the family in one sitting rather than having to do four or five trips."

Although she does not provide emergency dental care, Mrs Pile said she hoped to make two more versions of Flossy to cover Devon, Cornwall and further afield.

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