How practices can facilitate access for the gypsy traveller community

Gypsy travellers have poor health in comparison to the UK average. They may struggle to access emergency and routine dental care because of social, educational and cultural barriers. General dental practitioners can facilitate better oral health within the community by improving access, which may require some adaptation to conventional practice. This paper discusses the experiences of a practice within West Oxfordshire and highlights areas in which the authors have found small modifications to aid appointment attendance and patient motivation. Primary care dental practitioners come across a wide variety of patients from very diverse backgrounds. Following a year working in West Oxfordshire, one group of patients has particularly stood out – the travelling community. The term ‘traveller’ or ‘gypsy’ refers to ‘persons who wander or travel for the purpose of making or seeking their livelihood (not persons who move from place to place without any connection between their movements and their means of livelihood)’ and includes those who live permanently or temporarily in settled housing. There are many different socio-cultural groups within this broad definition, including Romany Gypsies, Irish Travellers, Scottish Travellers and Eastern European Roma Communities.