When Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) was
introduced in the United States, the hospital
staff received extensive education on the
use of this game changing product, and the
extraction numbers decreased even further.
Every year during my time at AHC, the staff
received lectures almost every day on
different subjects and we continue to
educate remotely as well.
AHC also has an outreach program where
the staff travels to nearby villages and
schools to educate the children in dental
Hygiene and perform dental procedures.
Together, we instituted a cost-effective
fluoride rinse program in all these schools
of more than 6,000 students, but now this
outreach program has evolved into an even
better mode of delivering dentistry. Our
foundation contributed funds towards a
van that was outfitted with the latest dental
equipment to serve those in remote villages
and schools. We are taking our impact on
the road!
Often, it is still difficult to educate the
masses, including parents in villages, about
oral hygiene. SLF partnered with Dr. Bethy
Turton, a dental consultant to the Cambodian
Ministry of Health, to make animated videos
in the Khmer language. These videos will be
distributed to the schools and to local health
centers where parents waiting in the waiting
room will be able to watch and understand
the concepts of teeth cleaning, nutrition
and prevention of dental caries in their
own language.
The world is wide, and we cannot possibly
go to every site to perform dentistry, so SLF
has partnered with entrepreneurs and local
governments to establish dental clinics in
remote areas. One example is the Deurali
clinic in Nepal.
SLF has partnered with The Jevaia foundation
and the local municipality of the Deurali
village to set up a dental clinic, train dental
assistants and have a dental education
program in the schools in the village.
Procedures which cannot be performed by
the assistants are sent to the local dentist in
the area This was established a few months
ago and the villagers are very happy with
this dental clinic.
The value of volunteering and dental
grantmaking is the unquestionable feeling
that one has done a little bit of good in this
world. If we, as dentists, can impart our
expertise to those providing oral health
services abroad, that should be our lasting
impact. I look forward to speaking with any
dentists who wish to have this type of
impact here in the United States or abroad.
Dilshad Sumar-Lakhani, DMD, FASDC
is a Pediatric Dentist and Adjunct Professor
at Temple University’s Kornberg School
of Dentistry. She can be reached at
[email protected].
This is the point: there are so many
champions for oral health, entrepreneurs,
and even government programs in the
developing world that need guidance and
funding. We dentists, as experts, can activate
these initiatives with the proper oversight
to make sure we are treating ethically
and responsibly.
I’m very excited because in October 2019,
my family will head to Beirut to take care
of the students in the Syrian Refugee camps
through Syrian American Medical Society
(SAMS). Future plans also include visits to
the Pamir mountains of Gilgit and Hunza
in Pakistan and to Khorog in Tajikistan.
I am the luckiest person in the world to
travel, meet diverse peoples, and serve
humanity the best I can.
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