RAWCS Project 144-2005-06, Tonga Dental Health Project – David Goldsmith
The Kingdom of Tonga is a Polynesian archipelago consisting of 45 inhabited islands located in the South Pacific. The nation has an indigenous population of 112,000 people, with a similar number living overseas. Education is free for all Tongans, who benefit from a high standard of schooling, reflected in an impressive literacy rate of 98.9%. Additionally, the country provides free medical and dental health services to its citizens.
All five of Tonga’s main secondary schools and colleges are situated on the main island of Tongatapu. These schools, which have more than 1,000 students each accommodate boarders including students from the outer islands.
Despite the high literacy rate among students, tooth decay remains a significant concern across Tonga’s secondary schools. Toothaches are common and often force students to seek relief at the overcrowded emergency department of Vaiola Hospital. This not only causes students to lose valuable days of education but also places additional pressure on hospital resources.
Over the past 30 years, the Rotary Club of Ballarat West has built a strong relationship with the Tongan Dental Department and Ministry of Health. Recognising the dental health issues in secondary schools, Queen Nanasipau’u of Tonga, the Tongan Prime Minister, and the school councils of Queen Salote College (the nation’s only all-female college), Apifo’ou Catholic College, Tupou College, Tonga High School, and Tonga College jointly requested the club’s help—a significant undertaking.
Rising to the challenge, the Rotary Club of Ballarat West, through teams of RAWCS volunteers, constructed fully equipped, modern dental clinics in all five secondary schools during 2022 and 2023. These clinics included sick bays stocked with medical supplies from DiK. Dental chairs and equipment were donated by Dental Health Services Victoria, supported by dentists and dental equipment companies in Melbourne, and shipped by Rotary DiK. Fundraising efforts were further bolstered by the schools’ alumni, resulting in an outstanding achievement.
Thanks to a major revamp of the Ballarat City Library and with the help of the Rotary Club of Ballarat East we took all their reduhndant metal modular shelving ,and together with the culled books from school libraries, shipped them to Tonga and reassembled them to create new Senior and Junior Libraries at Queen Salote College. This attracted great admiration from the Tongan Queen, her old school.
The establishment of these new facilities allows each school council to determine the type and frequency of oral health services, whether preventive or curative. Students are now cared for by familiar school dentists and dental therapists, making the experience less intimidating compared to visiting an unfamiliar hospital environment.
A dedicated dental team spends a week at each school on a rotating basis, and alumni support the service by providing consumables. This approach ensures the clinics are cost-effective and sustainable whilst significantly reducing the burden on the National Vaiola Hospital emergency department. In 2023 we also shipped a mobile dental clinic to service Tonga’s Primary Schools with funding for five years.
Queen Nanasipau’u officially opened the dental facility and libraries at Queen Salote College, in a two-hour ceremony broadcast globally. A similar event at Tonga High School was attended by both the King and Queen. In a heartfelt gesture, the Queen’s personal tailor crafted custom clothing for the Rotary team using cloth from her coronation, expressing deep appreciation for their contribution.
The collaboration between the Rotary Club of Ballarat West, Tongan authorities, and school communities has resulted in sustainable, impactful improvements to dental, literacy and health care for Tonga’s secondary students.