Irish Heart Foundation

For over two decades, The Lodge Dental Practice has been a trusted part of family healthcare in Togher, Cork, providing preventative, patient-focused dental care in a warm and welcoming environment. But the practice’s commitment to wellbeing extends far beyond oral health. Understanding that strong communities are built on preparedness as much as treatment, The Lodge Dental Practice partnered with the Irish Heart Foundation to host Basic Life Support (BLS) training for staff and members of the local community. This initiative equipped participants with vital emergency response skills, including CPR, choking management, and the use of defibrillators—knowledge that can make the difference between life and death in the critical moments before emergency services arrive. By bringing this training into a familiar local healthcare setting, the practice helped make lifesaving education more accessible and less intimidating. Patients, parents, carers, and neighbours were given the confidence to respond in an emergency, creating a ripple effect of safety and reassurance throughout the Togher area. The initiative reflects the practice’s wider philosophy: prevention, education, and care should always go hand in hand. Just as The Lodge works to prevent dental problems before they become serious, it also recognises the importance of helping people feel prepared for unexpected health crises. Through this partnership, The Lodge Dental Practice has shown that a local dental clinic can be more than a place for treatment—it can be a hub for community wellbeing, practical education, and meaningful public health impact.