On February 7, 2012
TRIP ONE
Dr. Walter Golub and Ann Mills ( a volunteer) arrived in Danang, Vietnam to join Dr. Doug Leung. For several days, Drs. Golub and Leung worked with the dental faculty at the Technical College teaching the students through lectures and hands-on experience.These sessions included the examination procedures and the sealant process to protect the molars of the children, ages 6 - 10.
The clinics were held over a three day period in different elementary schools, providing care to 70-120 children each day. The children came in classroom groups to a central area where Ann engaged them in a short talk about good nutrition and showed them proper brushing techniques .Then each child was accompanied by a dental student into the large room where twenty " stations" had been set up. Supervised by their own faculty and Drs. Leung and Golub, each child was examined with relevant information recorded. The first year molars were then carefully coated with the sealant material. This was followed by a fluoride treatment.
It is hoped that through follow-up examinations, the effectiveness of this sealant procedure along with good dental homecare will help to eliminate early loss of teeth and prevent the discomfort and pain of gum disease.
TRIP TWO
Dr. Leung and other volunteers arrived in Cebu,Philippines to work with an relief organization ,called Grace Empowerment Inc . We taught various groups from Hong Kong , Australia , and Boston to supplement the existing native groups in providing preventive dental procedures for various groups of poor children living in the dump site areas. It is hoped that these overseas groups will continue to send volunteers and funding to help in the native's continuing effort in the slums.
We also spoke and demonstrated our procedures to the area dental school to start a similar project ,as in Vietnam , with the 2013 class.
We delivered and installed 2 new dental chairs ,built the facilities and inventoried supplies to have a clinic to serve the disadvantaged children who have toothaches when examined during the preventive sessions .
Time was spent in contracting Staff from the public health clinic to operate the new clinic.
Vietnam Preventive Program at 4 area grammar schools:
In the center of the city: 02 schools; 01 primary shool and 01 kindergarten, including:
- Nguyen Du primary school: 126 children ( with 163 teeth)
- Hoa Phuong Do kindergarten: 147 chidren ( with 170 teeth)
In the schools far from center: also 02 schools: 01 primary shool and 01 kindergarten, including:
- Ngo Quyen primary school: 126 children ( with 261 teeth)
- Huong Duong kindergarten: 326children ( with 440 teeth)