Since the unit began operating last year with almost double the number of chairs as the previous unit in the old ambulance building at Orange Base Hospital, dental staff have handled more than 10,000 appointments - 6460 adults and 3571 children.

Anyone who has a concession card or is a child under the age of 18 can be treated in the clinic on the first floor of the hospital.

Head of the unit doctor Tom Hasson said strong links with the University of Sydney and Charles Sturt University have enormous benefits for the tertiary institutions that are training dentists and oral hygienists.

As well as eight separate dental treatment rooms there are specialist surgery rooms, a recovery area for patients and a training room where undergraduates can watch dental surgery taking place.

“This is a magnificent facility and now we have a different mindset - we are a teaching facility,” Dr Hasson said.

Dr Hasson said it is difficult to accurately calculate a reduction in waiting lists for public dentistry, due to the increased number of chairs and the ability to perform procedures in Orange for patients from a wide area.

“For example we have just referred 30 people to the university who are in need of new dentures because that is an integral part of their training at the moment,” he said.

Dr Hasson said however challenges remain in the delivery of dental care to public patients.

“Our role is to balance what we see as a need and what people want and quite often that isn’t the same thing,” he said.

The unit now employs four dental therapists, four dentists, and eleven dental assistants with the numbers boosted by students.

To be assessed for the free public dental service you must be a concession card holder or aged under 18 years. Call 1300 552 626 to make an appointment.