Dr Des Naidoo and Dr Ash Phillips - Far away from Medicare and
private health funds, a volunteer dental trip to Cambodia
on our outlook of dentistry than we would have ever thought…
One2One Cambodian Tooth Angel Project aims to bring desperately
needed basic dental and medical treatment to the most vulnerable and
destitute people of Cambodia
HIV and prisoners.
Our team of 6 New Zealand
varying motives for going on the trip. Some had done volunteering
locally before, but wanted to see their skills used in a needy community
abroad. Others wanted to travel and saw this as a good opportunity to
give back. Nevertheless, we all had a common goal - help the community
as best we could and enjoy ourselves at the same time.
We arrived in Cambodia
few days in Siem Riep, the tourist capital of Cambodia
while preparing for the work that was to come. We then travelled to Phnom
Penh, where we met the One2One staff who instantly made us feel at
home in their guest house. At 5am the next day, we convened on the bus
together with 14 dental students, a pharmacist, 2 nurses and One2One
support staff.
We headed for Ratanakiri, an isolated province in the north-east of
but is one of the least developed regions. The twelve-hour bus trip was
an adventure in itself - spirits were high and everyone was in a great mood
and neither the flat tyre, dust-filled bus or endless hours of Cambodian
karaoke would prevent us from enjoying ourselves!
On arrival, we found ourselves in the dusty courtyard of the prison. There
was a roof held up by struts in the centre, and this was to be our clinic.
The Dental Students from the Phnom Penh International University
like a well-oiled machine with: setting up our outdoor make-shift surgery,
assisting us and sterilizing instruments.
There were 10 to 15 prisoners per cell with less than a square metre
each, with no toilet or running water facilities. After many dizzy spells in
the 40 °C heat, we found a “prophylactic” banana morning and afternoon
helped to keep the prisoners energy levels up during treatment. This was
not surprising knowing their diet is usually a bowl of rice with some brothy
vegetables twice a day.
We treated 177 prisoners (142 male, 5 female), prison staff and their
families. We performed 200 extractions, 3 surgical extractions, 94 fillings
and 14 scaling (they all needed it though). With the exception of a
few, many prisoners did not routinely brush their teeth. Along with oral
hygiene instruction, each patient was given a new toothbrush and tube of
toothpaste.
Health checks by the medical team treated infections, scabies, lice
and other illnesses as well as de-worming tablets to the entire prison
population.
Despite the hot, dusty and clammy conditions, we felt the discomfort was
a small price to pay to help these people, with many never having had
access to dental or medical services previously. The prisoners were all
remarkably polite and respectful to us. We found it especially rewarding
working with the dental students. They were incredibly thankful to be
receiving hands-on dental work with one-on-one supervision from us, and
we could see a definite improvement in their skills in the days we spent
with them. These are effects that we feel will really manifest themselves for
years to come.
In our downtime, we would get together with the dental students to relax:
eating, drinking and playing various games. I will always remember the
Australasia vs Cambodia
not do our countries proud but in our defence, some of those boys were
very well fed! Our final night ended with a cultural evening, where we were
taught the Cambodian dance, Apsara. After their serene dance, our reply
with the New Zealand Haka came as a shock to them.
On returning to Phnom Penh
dental topics, which we presented to the dental class. With word-for-word
translation, we were reassured the message was conveyed. It was a bittersweet
end re-joining some of the Dental students when we dropped into
the HIV-affected orphanage with goodie-bags that the kids were thrilled to
receive. With most under 12yo, they may have been small in stature, but
they each had huge personalities.
We definitely were not all work and no play. We could not travel to
wonders. Built on a swamp, this intricately carved stone-walled temple
is the most renowned of the 700 temples in the area. The Russian
Markets where nothing is priced tested our bargaining skills with the eager
shopkeepers. Other worthwhile sights included the Tuol Sleng Genocide
Museum, Cheung Ek Killing Fields, Royal Palace
We found this dental volunteering trip surpassed what we could have
possibly experienced from simply travelling. Because we were contributing
to their country, the locals were more than willing to take us in and
immerse us in their lives, feeding us and taking us to the best local hotspots.
We will never forget our time in Cambodia
to see our new friends. Embarking on this or any volunteer dental trip
will reward you with an invaluable cultural and life experience, and a new
found appreciation for being a dentist!!
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