The Ministry of Higher Education welcomed the initiative on Tuesday, while recalling that 14 other SSEs offered solutions for dental care in 2020, in a written response to AFP.
Since October, consultations have been provided once a week by volunteer practitioners, members of an association (Aosis) launched in 2009 to reach out to people who are far from dental care.
190 dentists found
“We do screening, prevention and emergency care,” explained Dr. Catherine Jazat during the inauguration of the premises. “If follow-up care is necessary, we then refer the patient to a private dentist.” Around ten dentists in Vienne have already agreed to free up a one-hour slot to accommodate the students.
Access to dental care is particularly difficult in this department, with on average “42.1 dentists per 100,000 inhabitants, while there are 64 nationally”, notes the president of the council of the order Jean-Jacques Lauzin. . “We need 272 dentists, we have 190.”
The student dental office aims first of all to “fight against forgoing care”, specifies Dr Jazat. “Our patients are not from Poitiers and are far from their usual dentist when they have one.”
“It’s really easy”
Emerick, a 24-year-old student, had made an appointment because of “discomfort in a tooth”. “It’s really easy. I come from Guyana, I’m not under medical care here and I couldn’t get an appointment. In fact I have a cavity, the dentist scraped it this morning, I will have to come back in January for the rest because the consultations only last half an hour,” he told an AFP correspondent.
The modern dental office installed in the SSE building, on the Poitiers campus, was financed to the tune of 400,000 euros by the university and 60,000 euros by the student life council. The primary departmental health insurance fund provided the treatment chair.
“Our student health service’s mission is to be the gateway to a global health pathway for students who are far from it,” underlines the president of the Virginie Laval university.