Dental mission to Uganda
The health situation in Uganda is dire, with a large proportion of the population living in poverty or extreme poverty. Malnourishment in one form or another affects almost half of the Ugandans, HIV and AIDS have left entire villages abandoned, sanitation and access to clean water are poor and health care is anything from basic to non existent.
Dental infections that are very simple to treat and are more of a nuisance than a danger in our part of the world, can have severe consequences in a country like Uganda.
The combination of malnourishment, particularly protein deficiency, HIV, malaria and poor sanitation can lead to dental infections turning in to much worse conditions when not treated.
Noma is such a condition. It is an infectious disease that starts in the gum and if untreated breaks down the tissues of the face, ultimately killing the victim in most cases. Those who survive are severely disfigured. There are 100 000 new cases of noma every year, most of them in Africa.
The outreach clinics run by Dentaid are based on a vehicle and can reach places where people have no access to dental care at all.
They are manned by volunteer dentists and nurses who give up their time and pay for their own expenses.
Equipment is set up in anything with some kind of a roof on it. Once set up, around 100 patients per day can be treated.
We can work in almost any environment that eastern Africa has to offer, without compromising patient safety or surgical hygiene. The Dental Missions are also deeply involved in supporting Ugandan dentists, helping them to cope with the situation.
It is hard to know about all this and not do anything at all about it.
So, now we have.
The team at the Port Erin Dental Surgery are planning for a new tour in 2012, where more dentists and nurses will go out to Uganda.
If you think this is a worthy cause, you can do your bit by making a donation.
It is very simple, just go to:
http://www.justgiving.com/Erik-Ahlbom
All monies donated are used directly in dental missions. Our team members pay for their own expenses.
If you want to sponsor our team members , please call the Port Erin Dental Surgery at 01624 833667, or email us at porterindental@hotmail.com, and we will be in touch.To learn more about our Ugandan missions, please visit the CRU homepage, http://www.christianreliefuganda.org/
Click Here to read Erik Ahlbom's account of the 2012 Uganda mission.
