Three members of the Calhoun City Rotary Club traveled to Choluteca, Honduras in February to participate in a Dental Vocational Training Team, sponsored jointly by the Calhoun City club and the Madison, Alabama Rotary Club. Both clubs were aided by district grants furnished by districts 6800 and 6860.
The American team members consisted of two dentists, a dental hygienist, a dental assistant, and three who managed the flow of patients, maintained the equipment and filled in where there were gaps in man power. Those from Calhoun City were Fred Nabors, Allen Dearing and Dr. Jim Dobbs.
The Choluteca Rotary Club supplied local equipment, logistics, translators and national professionals to assist in the project. They included two private practice dentists, one public health dentist, and Dr. Nelson Matute, a Rotarian dentist from Choluteca. Several of the translators doubled as dental assistants during the project.
Much dental research has been done in the U.S. over the last 30 years trying to determine the best approach to preventing decay and loss of teeth in children and teens. A study published by the Center for Disease Control’s Division of Oral Health states that based on the evidence of effectiveness, two interventions are “strongly recommended” – community water fluoridation and school-based pit and fissure sealant delivery program.
The major goals of the team were to form an alliance among the public and private dental community, to secure the blessing of the local educational establishment, and to demonstrate that pit and fissure sealants could be effectively applied in the school without the students having to travel to the local dental clinic.
“The training team encountered outstanding cooperation from everyone involved – local dentists, Rotarians, educators, and parents all were more than willing to do whatever was necessary to make the project work,” Dr. Dobbs said.
In five days, the team visited four rural schools approximately 20 miles northeast of Choluteca.
At the end of the week, the team had seen 422 children ages 5-14, had placed 1,870 dental sealants on healthy teeth, had done 95 fillings, and had done 22 extractions.
In summary, the Dental Vocational Training Team has taken a simple, easily learned dental procedure that is cost efficient and demonstrated that with the proper equipment, supplies, and personnel this dental treatment can be delivered successfully to almost any student in any rural school in Honduras.
The program is squarely aligned with the vision of Rotary International that encourages cooperation among countries in projects that are sustainable and affordable for the host country.
“The Choluteca Rotary Club is strategically positioned to provide the in-country logistics and information necessary to make a Vocational Training Team’s visit productive,” Dr. Dobbs said. “In addition, they are enthusiastic in their support of such efforts, and the membership are enthusiastic in helping improve the health of the populous.”
