all inclusive solutions
Interviews with guests who have created simple solutions to be more inclusive for people with disabilities, chronic illnesses and life baggage. Listeners can learn and apply some of these solutions to support themselves and others to live their best lives. Listeners can also hear how they can be the confident in developing their ideas into new inclusive solutions that can make a real difference to people's lives.
all inclusive solutions
All Inclusive Dental Care with Molly Baldini
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Can a swallowable gummy solve a problem that toothbrushes can't? In this episode, Carol and Tom meet Molly Baldini, founder of DentaBlue, whose path from drama school to NHS dementia coordination led her to spot a gap nobody is addressing: oral care for people who can no longer manage a toothbrush.
Molly traces her journey from a childhood in Cirencester and a love of drama, through the NHS mental health system, to her current role as a dementia coordinator in a general hospital. It was there, watching oral care consistently fall through the cracks for patients living with dementia, that the idea for DentaBlue took shape. As Molly puts it, "there needs to be a viable alternative to allow people to feel dignified and comforted throughout their life."
The conversation explores the realities of building a physical product as a young woman entrepreneur. She recounts challenges with sixty-four prototypes, while identifying the most suitable packaging based on carers’ and families’ feedback. Determined to succeed, she cold messaged dentists on LinkedIn and got into the industry’s leading trade show through a care solutions competition.
Molly also opens up about wider gaps in dignity focused care, including dry mouth support, denture care and inclusive food design for people with chewing or swallowing difficulties.
This is a candid, practical look at grassroots innovation and why inclusivity in care is never one size fits all.
Interesting Topics
{8:11} – Why Molly started DentaBlue and what it does.
{11:53} – Molly’s journey to getting DentaBlue to market.
{21:32} – Identifying and validating a care need despite not being a medical practitioner.
{24:21} – How Molly aims to make dental care more inclusive.
Key Takeaways
- Early career experience across mental health and general hospital settings revealed how easily oral care gets overlooked for people living with dementia.
- Genuine co-production, testing with the people a product is designed for, at every stage, shapes far better outcomes than assumptions ever could.
- Building a physical product as a young woman entrepreneur means being resourceful, persistent and comfortable with rejection.
- Inclusive design has applications far beyond its original dementia focus, from MS and stroke recovery to learning disabilities and sensory needs.
- Dignity should sit at the centre of care, whether that's oral health, denture care or making mealtimes accessible and enjoyable.
You can contact:
Molly Baldini: mollyrbaldini@gmail.com
DentaBlue: www.dentablue.co.uk
Dr Carol Sargent at https://sargentgroup.consulting/
Dr Tom Adler at https://getbide.com/
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