Throughout my nearly 20 years in the dental industry, I’ve been committed to excellent patient care. For me, the desire to provide that care doesn’t stop at my office doors; I’m deeply invested in serving beyond my familiar environment. Recently, I was selected to participate in a dental mission trip to the Philippines, where I and a team of eleven other dental professionals provided care to nearly 130 children.
In addition to offering dental screenings, we provided the children in the Patoyo and Linapacan communities with oral hygiene education, fluoride varnish, dental sealants, as well limited restorative care using silver diamine fluoride and glass ionomer material. Our patients were mostly young children, from toddlers to teenagers.
As I worked with these children, I realized just how crucial giving back is to making my entire career more meaningful. Service trips like this — or really any way we give back to our communities both locally and globally — are incredibly rewarding, both for ourselves and for the patients we serve.
Giving smiles back is the best reward
The purpose of this mission trip goes beyond philanthropy. It’s about extending resources and support to underserved communities. Many of the patients we saw in the Philippines had no history of dental screenings, and as a result, dental care was sorely needed.
One of our patients was a 13-year-old girl who was so embarrassed by her teeth that she asked to be seen privately, away from her peers. We found that her front teeth had large cavities, which prevented her from wanting to smile. Thankfully, we were able to restore her two front teeth, which she likely would have lost within a few years if they had gone untreated.
Seeing patients like this young girl smile again with real confidence is an invaluable reward and makes every challenge more than worth it.
Overcoming challenges requires quick thinking
As amazing and productive as the trip was, it wasn’t without challenges. As we saw patients, we primarily worked outside, in extreme heat and humidity. Besides the physical discomfort, the temperature caused the glass ionomer materials we were using to set too quickly, requiring us to be resourceful and adjust our approach in real time.
During the dental screening, we used the local dentist's forms and had to navigate a different tooth notation system. It was a bit of a learning curve for us as most of the children had mixed dentition. Additionally, there were some challenges with communication. Reflecting on this, having a cheat sheet would have been valuable to be more efficient with our time. Incorporating simple greetings and commands in the local language, accompanied by phonetic pronunciations, would have enhanced our ability to connect with and instruct patients effectively.
Thankfully, we had wonderful translators, and many of the children had a basic understanding of English. In these moments, we found that the simplest of gestures, like smiling and offering stickers, became our universal language that transcended any linguistic barrier.
The right planning makes for the best trip
Whether domestically or internationally, community outreach offers invaluable insights. However, for those of us interested in a trip like this, it’s important to recognize that such experiences can be a culture shock for those unaccustomed to challenging conditions.
The best way to prevent potential problems is to prioritize planning. Research the community you’re going to be helping, get acquainted with their customs and embrace an open mindset. It’s also important to establish connections with local representatives for community engagement, as well as healthcare providers who can offer insight on the community or the country’s standard of care.
In our case, the mayor appointed a dentist to oversee our efforts. Through this partnership, we discussed what procedures we could perform and familiarized ourselves with the new-to-us World Dental Federation tooth numbering notation.
Organizations that are considering investing in their people to participate in mission trips like this should factor in the amount of time, resources and education needed to safely send their people to the mission location. Rather than using a top-down approach to giving back, organizations should look for individuals whose personal values align with the mission and who may have a relationship with the community in need. Cultural sensitivity training before deployment is crucial, as no universal value-based system exists. Also, understanding the country’s political dynamic may impact the approach, from deciding what materials to bring, to what permits are required.
Trips like this remind me of my 'why'
Before going on this trip, the need to serve people outside of my normal environment had been growing for months. As I worked with patients beyond my community, I was reminded over and over of why I went into dentistry: to help people. This is why we became healthcare professionals in the first place, and this is why we continue to do what we do.
Overall, dental mission trips like this one provide essential care and foster empathy, cultural understanding and personal growth. Embracing these opportunities makes a meaningful difference in both our lives and the lives of those we serve.
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Belangie Perez-Torres, RDH, director of hygiene strategy and operations at Aspen Dental and 2023 Brilliance in Healthcare Award winner, is driven by passion — positioning hygienists to be the best they can to deliver superior patient experiences. During her time with Aspen Dental, she’s been at the forefront of new initiatives designed to break down barriers and help Aspen patients get the care they need. Always looking to the future of dentistry and hygiene, Bela has pioneered utilizing new technologies, systems and workflows to improve patient experience. She was at the forefront of implementing voice-activated periodontal charting for dental hygienists in the organization and has helped transform in-person hygiene training sessions to blended modalities for scalability.