M e m b e r s M a k i n g a D i f f e r e n c e
In the evenings , when I was in Siem Reap , I worked with Dr . Vuthy , a surgeon at the AHC who is part of the Smile Train Program . We would take children who come to the AHC with cleft lip and palate , and perform surgery at another surgicenter in town . I have supported the Smile Train organization for the last 15 years financially as well as assisting in the surgeries when I am in Siem Reap .
In summary , dentistry at the AHC has come a long way from just extractions . Fluoride rinses and varnish application have been instituted for every child who visits the dental clinic . Restoration , pulpotomies and anterior root canals on permanent teeth are being performed . Sealants and preventive resin restorations are being done and the staff is very aware of preventive dentistry . I must give credit to the two dentists and six dental nurses ( dental nurses in Cambodia are trained to perform all aspects of dentistry ). They have been very receptive of all the changes I have instituted at the clinic and are very eager to learn . They also want the best for the children of Cambodia and are willing to accommodate the changes . They needed a mentor and a facilitator and I was there to help them out . All this would not have been accomplished and maintained if I did not have the support and the blessing of the administration . Dr . William Housworth has been very accommodating and helpful in allowing me to implement all the changes at the AHC . He is a visionary CEO and without his insight and support from Friends Without A Border , AHC would not have been able to make all this progress . Where are we going from here ? The dental staff and I will maintain the progress at the clinic . We are going to add more schools for the fluoride rinse program and continue the fluoride varnish application in the remote area schools . An oral surgeon is volunteering at the AHC and all the oral pathology cases are being seen in house . We will continue with the preventive dentistry and restorative work instead of extracting teeth . Oral hygiene instructions are being given to the parents and patients in the waiting area twice a day , in the morning and early afternoon . The clinic now is open 9 hours a day from 8 a . m . to 5 p . m ., as the staff has agreed to stagger their lunch hour and hence more patients can be seen . The clinic is also open on Saturday mornings . We are very pleased with all the development at the AHC dental clinic . In the future , the AHC will have satellite clinics in the surrounding areas of Siem Reap which will help AHC to be sustainable and serve more people in the remote areas of Cambodia .
Why am I so involved in Cambodia ? This project fell in my lap . I took it up , and in just a few years have seen progress and this will continue to progress even further . The Cambodians have seen a lot of atrocities in their lifetime . The Pol Pot regime totally wiped out the elite and educated group of people at the killing fields . This country had to start from scratch in the 21 st Century . They need help . There are a lot of non-governmental organizations in this country working with the school systems and orphanages and getting the young generation on their feet . I am contributing to their dental health .
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