About us

Friends of Really Excellent Dentistry (FRED) is a national health promotion charity working towards a future where all Australians enjoy good oral health and the many benefits it brings.

When people have good oral health, they’re more likely to have better overall health and wellbeing. They can confidently communicate, eat well, participate at school and work, and likely reduce their risk of health issues like heart disease, diabetes and dementia.

Maintaining good oral health requires access to trusted information and lifelong support, which isn’t available to all Australians. This is due to cost, lack of access to appropriate services, and a system that treats oral health as separate from the rest of health care.

As a result, people on low incomes, people living outside cities, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are more likely to experience avoidable pain, infection, and complications.

We believe that everyone should have access to evidence-based preventive oral health information and support, to help maintain their oral health throughout their lives.

That's why we work collaboratively with people with lived expertise, health professionals, community organisations, researchers, and governments to:

  • Build the capacity of health and community service professionals to provide simple and effective preventive oral health support to people who need it most.

  • Leverage new technologies to make preventive health information personalised, relevant and engaging.

  • Advocate for policies and laws that prioritise oral health prevention and health equity.

By working together, we can support everyone's oral health, now and into the future.

Our mission

To ensure everyone has access to the preventive information and support they need to improve and maintain their oral health.

Our values

Our values guide the way we work.

  • We are guided by the best available research and science on oral health. Our solutions are grounded in a combination of evidence-based information, internationally recognised health promotion principles, and lived expertise.

  • We create a safe, welcoming space, free from judgement. We understand that everyone’s oral health journey is different, and we treat people with kindness, respect and care.tion text goes here

  • We recognise that social, economic and environmental factors impact people’s health. We prioritise reaching people who cannot access the oral health information and care they need and deserve.

  • We evaluate and refine our approach to maximise the positive difference we can make in people’s lives.

  • We are responsive to the needs and services we work alongside. We design solutions that work within the complexity of real systems, adapt to constraints, support integration, and build on what’s already working.

Our priorities

We are working towards three key priorities.

Priority 1

Communities have access to evidence-based information and support to look after their oral health.

Priority 2

Health and community service professionals have the skills, knowledge and confidence to provide preventive oral health support to people who need it most.

Priority 3

Governments implement policies, laws and programs that prevent oral disease and improve health equity in Australia.