The N.S.W. Minister for Health, Mr Fitzsimmons on 11 December, 1935, declared launched at Sydney Central Station, Australia’s first railway travelling dental Clinic.
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A railway carriage had been converted into a complete dental surgery unit. It was equipped with two dental chairs with a patient’s waiting room, a mechanic’s work room, quarters for staff, kitchenette, a room for an engine to generate electricity and a laboratory.
The carriage was designed to travel throughout the state carrying a dental officer and three dental mechanics. Like the Baby Health Clinic carriage it was to be attached to either a passenger or goods train and left at selected stations to provide dental services to eligible persons.
Persons and dependents entitled to free dental treatment had to be on unemployment relief, generally unemployed, and or in need. Those registered with the Local Police for relief assistance could get cards entitling them to free service at the travelling dental Clinic.
Prior to the Clinic arriving in Mudgee on July 18, 1938, the police had issued to local citizens 401 cards, for all classes of dental work, operations, extractions, fillings and the making of false teeth. In later years appointments were registered with the local station master.
Prior to coming to Mudgee, the dental Clinic carriage was at the Lithgow, Portland, Kandos and Rylstone railway stations.
It then moved on to Gulgong, Coolah, Dunedoo to Merrygoen and stations out to end of the line at Gwabegar At this time the travelling dental Clinic was under the superintendence of G Hunt, BDS, assisted by A.G. Smith, J Obrien and I M Nicholson and a nurse.
All these personnel of the Clinic were associates of Miss Doreen Musgrave and Miss Joan Groundwater, both of whom will be remembered when they practised with Mrs Edith Stewart, a dentist who serviced both the Dunedoo and Leadville areas.
In September, 1938, the three year old first dental carriage was replaced with a new version. This unit had additional modern equipment, a more improved sterilizer and an X-ray plant.
The replaced carriage had visited a total of 75 towns and 5,300 dentures had been supplied to needy people. The new carriage provided sleeping accommodation for a crew of six, when board could not be obtained at a local hotel, or nearby accommodation house.
The dental Clinic carriage travelled on all western country lines mostly to their far terminus. In May 1953, 140 people received treatment at Stuart Town near Orange. At Wellington, in the first two weeks of June, 1953, 290 old age, invalids and Aborigines attended the Clinic. Local welfare societies assisted with vehicle travel to the Clinic parked at the railway station.
Associate Professor R G Woods AM, BDS, FRACDS, FICD of Yass, informed the writer of this article that he was appointed to the travelling Dental Clinic to provide dental services to pensioners where there was no other local facility.
He joined the Clinic soon after graduating in late January, 1954, when the Clinic was parked at Gulgong and the service went onto Coolah and then Dunedoo.
The Clinic itself was constructed on a former 1887 Pullman sleeping carriage. The patient’s waiting room was in the front section of the carriage and it retained most of the original Pullman’s fittings.
The Pullman car was later modified to include an additional dental chair and sterilizing equipment with an autoclave. There was an office and a shower.
The improved electrical generator could be left running when the Clinic was closed in the afternoon .
The New South Wales Railway Dental Clinic Service was phased out in late 1986. The last two converted carriages were then altered for attachment to special trains such as the small business train and the rugby league train.