OHSU dental students care for Caribbean patients
Patients flock to West Indies pop-up clinic for much-needed oral health care
A patient chipped his front tooth during a baseball accident as a kid. As a resident of the Dominican Republic where dental care is limited, the patient hasn’t been able to fix the tooth, until now.
“At the end of our procedure, he gave me a fist bump and thanked me for gifting him a tooth he felt confident smiling with,” said Aaron Bell, a third-year doctor of dental medicine student. “The gratitude our patients expressed was humbling and rewarding.”
OHSU School of Dentistry students Valerie Truong, left, and Linh Vuong, right, and a local provider prepare for a community clinic in the Dominican Republic. Photo by School of Dentistry
Bell traveled with a group of dedicated dental students to a sugarcane plantation in the Juan Dolio region of the Dominican Republic from Sept. 21 to 28 to provide its residents with oral health care. They also administered antibiotics and pain management medications. The clinic navigated medical concerns through a medical doctor.
“Working in a setting where dental resources are limited opened our eyes to the profound impact we can have on individual lives and entire communities,” said Valerie Truong, a third-year doctor of dental medicine student. “It gave us the chance to step outside the clinical setting we’re accustomed to and find creative, compassionate ways to deliver care with limited equipment and materials.”
The Bright Island Outreach Dental Mission trip involved performing cleanings, fillings and root canals, providing removable partial dentures and extracting teeth. Children with infections got treatments before they became urgent, while adults who had fractured teeth got them restored. The group offered care to 256 children, adults and geriatric patients.
“It was an experience that humbled us and transformed our outlook on both dentistry and the community around us,” said Aleya Steckel, a third-year student.
Many patients appeared at the clinic not smiling because they didn’t have confidence in the way their teeth looked.
They left with large smiles on their faces.
The Bright Island Outreach Dental Mission trip was funded by Permanente Dental Associates, Willamette Dental and Toni Eigner-Barry, D.M.D. ’77, professor emeritus from the OHSU Russell Street Clinic.
The pop-up dental clinic in the Juan Dolio region of the Dominican Republic. Photo by School of Dentistry
Story by Rhonda Morin, APR
