Indigenous communities benefit from Air Force dental services

Indigenous communities in the East Kimberley received access to Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) dental specialists as part of health initiative Exercise Kummundoo 2019, a collaboration with the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), which is Australia’s peak body representing the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians.

The Air Force dental team was based out of the Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service (BRAMS) this month, providing a variety of dental services and participating in a number of community engagement activities.

Flight Lieutenant Max Moody, Officer in Charge of Exercise Kummundoo, said recent health studies in Western Australia indicate that one-third of Indigenous children have problems with their teeth.

“Two-in-five children have tooth decay, teeth removed, or fillings, primarily attributed to a lack of simple dental hygiene.

“We want to help these Indigenous children and their wider communities by providing access to basic dental care and education on simple dental hygiene techniques”, Flight Lieutenant Moody said.

Exercise Kummundoo 2019 is an initiative of RAAF and is a key part of Air Force’s Indigenous Strategy Our Place, Our Skies.

Air Force is committed to helping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have the best chance at succeeding in life, starting with providing basic healthcare.

Imagery is available at: http://images.defence.gov.au/S20192284