If you would like to help us with this project click here for a donation form
For pictures of the 2008 trip click here!
Since 1988, I
have had the great pleasure in participating in the Dominican Republic Dental Project. Begun in 1982 by Dr. Francis Serio (under the auspices of the
Catholic Medical Mission Board) when he was an instructor at the University of
Maryland Dental School, the project has served thousands of rural poor in the
Dominican mountains. To date over five million dollars worth of care has been
provided. Dental students from the Universities of Maryland and Mississippi
(where Dr. Serio is now), dentists, hygienists, and others have participated
through the years. Many Dominican dentists have helped as well, including some
who went to dental school after helping us on the project
as teenagers.
The goals of the project are to relieve pain, restore smiles and dignity, and to give dental students a rewarding volunteer experience
Services provided include extractions, fillings, and partial dentures for these hard working people. The combination of poverty, marginal nutrition, and lack of access to care makes for rampant tooth decay. Dental caries (decay) is the most common infectious disease in the world, and borders on an epidemic in much of the developing world.
In 2002 Dr Serio resigned as
active leader of the project after twenty years of loyal and unparalleled
leadership. He will continue to help us, but the project has returned to
Maryland as it's home base. My hope is that in this latest incarnati
on, the
project can meet the high standards set by Dr. Serio's years of hard work.
The
project had traditionally comprised of groups going to three towns in the
Dominican Republic. The largest part of the project was in the town of San Jose
de Ocoa, the original location for the trip. The oral health in the pueblos
surrounding this area has improved immensely due to Dr Serio's hard work. A
number of Dominican dentist are now active in this town, some of who started out
as kids holding flashlights while we worked. In fact one of our coworker
Dominican dentists is currently in charge of the government’s oral health
program in the Ocoa province, and the same program employs another. We plan to
help them both financially and logistically with the continuation of the great
strides in the Ocoa area, but it is time in that region for the Dominicans to do
it themselves. One project is well underway, where the local government dentists
have initiated an early intervention program in the elementary schools of the
province. This project will be run by the local dent
ists
with material and logistical support by us. Their greatest need from us is
donated dental materials as they have manpower and equipment but not enough
expensive materials for fillings, sealants, and the like.
El Cercado and Hondo Valle are two remote towns near the Haitian border where much more work needs to be done. They are located in the poorest province of the country, and there is little access to oral health services. The project now focuses on these two towns. In 2002 , the first year of the project's newest incarnation, we had a wonderfully successful outcome; seeing over 500 patients and donating $150,000 worth of care in one week.
This year's project (July
2008) was a seamless
success. Two dentists (including a return by Frank "El Jefe" Serio), eight dental students, and three Dominican dentists worked
with a large group of local volunteers to pull off a smooth operation. We treated
nearly 400 people in a week of fun, learning, and delivery of
much needed care. This year we worked in El Cercado only due to some scheduling
conflicts in Honde Valle. We provided over $250,000 worth of fillings, extractions, and
partials. Steps were taken
by the
local Dominican health committee to make their end run smoother than in the past
so our job as volunteers from the United States was easier than ever. I would
like to thank all those responsible who helped make our trip a
success....starting with the volunteers from both countries, to our many donors,
to the people who quietly help us behind the scenes seeking no recognition at
all but only the good feeling of helping such a needed project.
Watch this site for progress and updates on this year's project.
If you would like to help us with this project click here for a donation form
