Global Medical/Dental Brigade - Honduras: Honduras

Sunday January 6, 2013 - Day Four

Today was our second day at Ojachal Village! Breakfast was crepes and it was delicious again! :) We drove to Ojachal and set up the dental station quickly since it was ready from the previous day. Today, Doctor Ingrid and Elena switched positions so Ingrid was doing fillings and Elena was doing extractions. My day started off a little differently from yesterday. I volunteered for dental charla! Dental charla is like dental education. We teach the kids of the village how to brush their teeth, for how long, and the importance of brushing at least twice a day each day. So, my dental teammate, Ashley, and I gathered the kids and lined them up to take their name, age, and gender. We took groups of twenty kids at a time from ages 2 to 13. First, we explained the importance of brushing their teeth TWICE a day EVERY day, to brush in CIRCLES, and to brush the front, back, and entire mouth including their tongues! We distributed a toothbrush and small tube of toothpaste to each child to practice with and take home. So we practiced brushing our teeth for 1 minute and then spit! After, we provided fluoride for the children. Each child had a dixie cup of fluoride and we told them to swish the fluoride around in their mouths for a minute. It was important for us to explain not to swallow the fluoride or eat thirty minutes after the fluoride treatment. We repeated this lesson about 5 or 6 times which added up to more or less one hundred kids! For me, this part of the brigade was one of the most rewarding. I really felt I made an impact on the children and even their parents. I took it upon myself to show the kids how to brush so they can prevent cavities and poor dental care themselves. I cannot express the amount of satisfaction and happiness that their little smiles brought me. Their smiles truly made my heart melt. After, I returned to the dental station for the rest of the afternoon. I got to see Ere and talk with many of the children and their parents. We also saw some crazy cases today! For example, we saw an older man who got teeth 21-24 extracted (4 front left teeth on the bottom jaw). This man's gums were not very healthy, so after the teeth were extracted, his gums were floppy and flimsy. So, Doctor Elena had to suture, or sew, his gums together so they would not get infected. It was truly amazing to see how she fixed his smile and relieved him of his pain. We finished off the day by taking pictures with all the kids and saying goodbye to the village we had grown so close to over the past two days. Ojachal was so wonderful and welcoming that I can only imagine what the next village has in store for us! Adios and Goodnight! Enjoy pictures of day four and the village of Ojachal!