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Dental group donates oral health care packages

By Caitlyn Grant

Aug 14, 2022

Helping hand: Shepparton dentist Margaret Tran led the initiative to donate oral care packages.

The joy of helping Goulburn Valley smiles shine a little brighter is why members of the Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch Goulburn Valley Group do what they do.

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To commemorate Dental Health Week, the group donated 200 packs filled with dental supplies to Foodshare Shepparton and The Orange Door to be distributed to those in need.

One hundred of the packages were sponsored by Colgate and the Australian Dental Association Victoria branch, with the additional 100 coming from the Goulburn Valley branch.

The packages were split into age ranges to reach a wider spread of people, each holding toothpaste, a toothbrush and floss, and instructions on brushing and flossing in the kits.

Donation: The Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch Goulburn Valley Group gave packages to The Orange Door and Foodshare Shepparton.

Shepparton-based dentist Margaret Tran organised the initiative as a way to share her passion of educating about oral health while also “giving back to the community in any way”.

She said the organisations were “very grateful”.

“A lot of people who use these services are in difficult situations where oral health may not be a priority or even a possibility, so this initiative will help many in the community,” she said.

“Prevention is key for good oral health and this should always come before interventional methods of drilling and filling.

“If we can avoid decay by brushing and flossing, why shouldn’t we?”

The Australian Dental Association Victorian branch Goulburn Valley Group is made up of 60 dentists and oral health therapists from across the region.

Ms Tran has been a part of the group for more than six months.

She assembled the packages in her own time and donated them to the organisations on Thursday, July 27.