National homelessness charity Crisis is calling on dentists, dental nurses and dental hygienists to provide treatment for homeless people at its temporary centres in London this Christmas.

Crisis at Christmas 2016 runs from 23–30 December, with centres set to open across London, Birmingham, Newcastle, Coventry and Edinburgh. As well as warmth, companionship and hot meals, guests will receive healthcare and specialist advice on housing, work and benefits.

The dental service relies on qualified volunteers to provide a range of routine dental treatments including check-ups, scaling, polishing and fillings. Last year, 377 dental consultations took place with 432 guests receiving a treatment across all centres.

Oonagh McCloskey, who has been a dental volunteer for six years, said: 'I first got involved with Crisis when I decided that I wanted to use my skills as a dentist to provide a service to those less fortunate that myself. A great combination makes the dental team an annual success: we have the diversity of the volunteers with an array of different skill sets, which enables us to provide all sorts of dental care. It is a great feeling to be able to provide a guest with the service and seeing them smiling proudly afterwards'.

Crisis at Christmas centres are run by thousands of volunteers from all walks of life with registration now open at www.crisis.org.uk/volunteer.