The Dental Outreach with Around Good People consists of 7 day/10 day programme in a mountain village of Nepal. These not-for-profit outreaches provide free treatment to the community in the form of patient screening,preventative, restorative and surgical dentistry.
Volunteer cycle between job roles daily in a rotation system that better facilitates learning and keeps enthusiasm high. All presenting patients from the community are screened, and priority for ideal treatment is assigned. The preventative aspect takes the form of OHI, distribution of fluoride toothpastes, toothbrushes, floss and application of fluoride gels/fissure sealants. Restorative dentistry is also provided, and treatment ideally directed at lesions that have a good chance of being resolved with manageable composite and GIC restorations under the circumstance. Extractions are also performed in number, with retained roots and infected teeth so common-place in these isolated villages that it becomes a necessity.
All the while, these services are directed toward those who need it most, which include: the elderly, women, girls, disabled, infirm, marginalized communities, farmers and land-less agricultural labourers.
Our placements are intended to give dental students and professionals alike the opportunity to learn about oral healthcare provision in unfamiliar environments and cultures through exposure to the temporary dental clinics in villages near Pokhara and Kathmandu. We provide a comprehensive support package that is designed to make these opportunities as accessible as possible – but what you get out of your experience at the Dental Outreach clinic will depend on what you put in.
As the outreach village comes to get a feel for your presence in the community, you will watch the true Nepali spirit and generosity flourish. Their genuine gratitude often permits insight into some of the oldest traditions on earth, to which many volunteers will testify is a humbling and memorable experience that is difficult to describe!
