From increased applications to expanded community outreach, we’ve been working tirelessly to support the dental community. Explore the highlights and stories that showcase our commitment and the incredible impact of our work.
Financial support
This year, we received over 200 applications, with 130 individuals applying for financial aid. This represents a 14% increase in applications compared to the previous year. This is 4 per week and inquiries about eligibility rose by 32% on the previous year with an average of 2 per day.
57% of our applications are from dentists with 40% from dental students and 3% from dependents.
The average age of those applying for support was 31, with individuals ranging from 18 to 75 years old.
The top three reasons for applying included issues related to cash flow or money management, hardship when at university, and help with returning/ retraining in dentistry.
Our busiest months for applications were July, August, October, and November.
Alongside this, dental community also had access to telephone support and free counselling as well as the new Wisdom portal and app.
Reaching out
Our outreach efforts in 2024 saw a 27% increase in visits to our website, with a remarkable 1270% spike in visits to our new asylum seeker and refugee dentists page.
We sent out 150,000 emails (@1-2 per month) providing information and support, encouraging more people to engage with our resources. If you didn’t receive these please sign up for our newsletter to ensure you keep up to date.
Our social media presence grew by 15%, with over 1,000 posts generating 79,000 impressions and 3,800 engagements. We would love you to help us spread the word by following all of our channels and adding us to your favourites or signing up for alerts on the channel. You can find us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and X.
Over 1,000 users accessed the Wellbeing Support for Dental Teams guide.
Thank you
Thanks to our Free Wills Campaign, 80 people accessed a free will with nearly £160,000 pledged in legacy giving. We also received one legacy of £1000 in 2024. We remain humbled by those who choose to support us in their memory.
We saw a 4.5% increase in donations from individuals and a 26% increase in contributions from companies often through the platform Wonderful.
Our work wouldn’t be possible without the generous contributions of the dental profession. Local Dental Committees (LDCs) increased their donations, and companies like Wealthwide and Dentists Provident made significant contributions for another year.
Our Patron, Dr Richard Graham released a book on the history of the Northern Ireland branch donating half the proceeds.
Strong governance continues
We welcomed new Trustees: Jacqui Frederick, John Ulahannan, Hira Chaudhry, and Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen. Sadly, we mourned the untimely passing of Trustee John Ulahannan, who had already given so much in his short time with us.
Connecting
Our diversity and inclusion activities included discussions on faith and dentistry, such as “Dentists Observing Ramadan: What You Need to Know” and “Celebrating The True Meaning of Christmas.” These pieces helped foster a deeper connection with our diverse community.
The very personal impact of our work
We remain grateful to those who share their stories of what the grant support has meant to them. We hope this will encourage people to apply who might be in similar situations. If you haven’t yet please take the time to read how our work has profoundly impacted individuals, like Petro, a refugee dentist, and Omar, a dental student.
You can read more about their journeys and others we’ve supported here:
As we look ahead, we remain committed to supporting the dental community and making a positive impact on the lives of those in need.
