Pulpdent Corp, Watertown, Mass, has donated Embrace® Sealant, Embrace Etch-Rite, Flecta® Disposable Mirrors, and patient brochures in Spanish to the Andean (Peru) Dental Health Initiative. The program provides oral health care for the children of HuÁnuco, Peru, many of whom are Quechua Indians.
Preventive dental education and water fluoridation are nonexistent in HuÁnuco. Because of a fear of dentists and the cost of dental care, most people seek treatment primarily for emergency extractions. These extractions are usually done without anesthesia, which compounds the fear of the dentist. Rampant carries are visibly evident in these children, contributing to malnutrition, constant dental infection, and loss of education due to school absences.
“Our first goal is to educate about good dental health,” says Heidi Philley, RDH, program coordinator for the Dental Health Initiative. “We instruct the children on the importance of brushing their teeth and good nutrition, and work to change the view of the dentist’s role in their health care. This is done with the use of puppets, flannel graphs, and actively teaching them how to brush their teeth. We have trained 12 Peruvian volunteers, three dentists, and two medical staff to give educational talks and apply the fluoride varnish.”
Pulpdent manufactures high-quality products for the dental profession, including adhesives, composites, sealants, cements, etching gels, calcium hydroxide products, endodontic specialties, and bonding accessories. For more information, contact Pulpdent.