Students Deliver Dental Care Boost To Children In Cambodia

Thu, 25 Mar 2010

Dental students from the University of Manchester have returned from Cambodia where they spent three weeks helping to provide dental treatment to over a thousand children.

The student team was put together by Dr Monika Suorn, of the Tooth Angel Project, in a bid to help improve the oral health of Cambodian children, many of whom have never received dental care .

Around 1,500 children were seen to across five orphanages in many of the country's provinces. The team carried out treatment using rudimentary facilities and a mobile dental laboratory.

Children also received vital oral hygiene advice, donated toothbrushes and fluoride toothpaste .

Jennifer Archer, a final-year dentistry student at the University of Manchester, described the project as an "amazing dental experience" that gave a "fantastic insight into Cambodian culture".

She said: "Our Cambodian adventure was an eye opener for all involved, from the second day after arrival we got stuck into extractions, fillings, scaling and oral hygiene advice."

"It was obvious from the start that this was going to be a big challenge! Many of the children had never received dental care and there were a few tears on occasions but, generally, the children were amazing, despite the basic conditions."

"We experienced all levels of tooth decay during our three-week mission. The average five year old child in Cambodia has 8-10 decayed teeth and some had been experiencing extreme infections and pain."

"Despite our training to help younger children, sometimes all it took was a blown up glove or a game of football to put a smile on their faces."

She added: "We were the first UK students to join the Cambodian Enfants d'Asie (ASPECA) dental mission and we hope that we have now established a successful link that will continue to provide dental care to the children of Cambodia for years to come."

The student dental team was supported by healthcare uniform designer, manufacturer and supplier, Grahame Gardner Ltd.
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