Free dental care for those in dire need

The problem of dental decay in Viet Nam is escalating rapidly. According to a National Oral Health Survey (2001), more than 85% of 6-8 year olds are affected by tooth decay. It’s a particularly significant issue for the children with HIV that we work for whom oral hygiene is even more important for a range of reasons. For example, such decay and possible systemic infection if untreated are much more serious.

East Meets West http://eastmeetswestdental.org/   is an international NGO who sees private clients which in turn helps fund the charity work they do in schools and with other identified groups in need such as VNHIP.  Recently we partnered with East Meets West in Da Nang city to have the children we work with assessed, something we now hope to do annually.

We had noticed that many of the children we work with had frank and visible decay. While there are local dentists this is not without its problems. On one such visit recently at a large public hospital, the dental staff were clearly discomforted that they were treating a child with HIV. They also suggested there was no issue with the several rear molars that were brown and broken off half way down the shaft and that we should just wait for them to come loose. This is in stark contrast to western thinking  re oral care, and likely represents a lack of up to date training for the staff.

The staff at East Meets West were extraordinary in their warmth and commitment to making the kids comfortable and giving them the time they needed to adjust to the unfamiliar environment and the work that needed to be done. The director showed them how to brush their teeth on a model jaw, they watched DVDs to reinforce the message, and took home new toothbrushes.

To give you some idea just how necessary our dental visit was, one young person alone had 7 fillings and one extraction in just one side of his mouth and will need to return for further work. Another young girl had frank and visible decay not only on her rear molars but on almost every visible tooth. For all the children that were seen we know that this work has prevented much more serious dental, and broader resultant health, issues down the track.

VNHIP is very grateful to East Meets West for their support and expertise.