It is amazing to think that there are only 5 dentists and 200 dental therapists…
8th July 2013 by James Goolnik
In Malawi, dental services only benefit those who live in urban/suburban areas which, according to statistics, represent only 15% of the population. The rural masses (85%) suffer silently for lack of dental services in the country. To tackle this nationwide issue, a group of eight passionate dental professionals are travelling to Malawi from the UK and Europe to provide essential dental care and equipment to Malawians for free, in association with Dentaid, a charity which aims to improve the world’s oral health.
The volunteers will be in Malawi during the month of July when they will assist the local people in their efforts to improve oral and dental healthcare provision. James Goolnik and Sandra Martin will take part in National Skills Transfer workshops and tutorials to educate communities on proper and efficient oral care. The dentists will also visit Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Blantyre and Zomba Central Hospital where they will donate equipment, instruments and materials to the dentists who work there to ensure that efficient oral care can be sustained long after this initiative. Colgate is proud to sponsor the project, providing 10,000 toothbrushes and toothpastes to help to improve the standards of oral health in this impoverished area.
Dentist Practitioner, Author and Project Leader, James Goolnik commented “Oral health is extremely important as research continues to reveal that our oral health has an impact on the rest of our bodies. It is shocking that an estimated 85% of Malawi’s population do not have access to effective dental services.
We are extremely grateful to Colgate for their generous donation to this worthwhile project. The toothbrushes and toothpastes will provide the community with essential tools for the improvement of oral care in Malawi.”
The team of eight dentists involved in the project include:
You can follow their progress at www.facebook.com/dentaid.charity
There has been £11,994.42 donated to supply and equip two dental surgeries in Malawi.
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