Spotlight on Dental Volunteerism
“ Not everything that counts can be counted.
And not everything that can be counted, counts. ”
–Albert Einstein
Volunteerism
by Dr. Dilshad Sumar-Lakhani
What is Volunteerism?
How does one value Volunteerism?
Volunteerism is about giving, contributing,
and making the lives of others a little better.
During my dental career, besides going
to schools here in the United States and
volunteering to promote oral health, I spent
a considerable amount of time working
and grantmaking towards better oral health
outcomes in the developing world.
Here’s what I learned:
In some of the world’s poorest areas, access
to oral care is virtually nonexistent. For
example, the closest dentist for a family
living in rural Cambodia can be up to 400
miles! This means that the urgency to impart
critical oral health information and prevent
diseases is paramount.
I have consulted with the Aga Khan
Hospitals in Pakistan, Kenya and Tanzania to
build their capacity to serve even more
patients. One of the most commonly
overlooked aspects of health care in the
developing world is the sheer mileage
families travel to get treatment for oral
problems. Additionally, when patients arrive,
they don’t know if they will be treated.
But for me, this journey all started in Siem
Reap, in Cambodia with Angkor Hospital for
Children (AHC) in 2007. I developed a deep
and long-term connection with the dentists
at the hospital, skyping monthly, and
together, we fundamentally changed the
way dentistry is practiced in Northern
Cambodia.
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Through my Charitable Family Foundation,
Sumar-Lakhani Foundation (SLF), we
expanded the dental clinic into a four-chair
clinic with an X-ray room. All the equipment,
including compressor and suction units, was
replaced to accommodate the new, more
efficient and safer delivery units. My husband
and son, integral parts of my former practice
in Allentown, Pennsylvania even joined in
on the fun.
The treatment plan for most children visiting
the hospital at that time was simply extraction.
Over time, I educated the dentists and
dental nurses in conservative treatment
plans. They learned essential techniques
such as: The Atraumatic Tooth restoration
(ART) technique, pulpotomies, restoration
of permanent anterior teeth with RCT and
use of glass ionomers. Sealants on
permanent and primary molars were
introduced and the philosophy of extraction
was changed to restoration and prevention.