GSDM Students Provide Dental Care in Panama
On January 15, 2015, Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) students Christopher Chan and Raman Samra (both DMD 15) traveled to Penonomé, Panama, to provide dental care. The trip was sponsored by North East Volunteer Optometric Services for Humanity (NEVOSH), a Rhode Island based organization dedicated to providing health care to those in need around the world. In addition to the dental and optometry volunteers, many other medical professionals and students comprised the NEVOSH group.
Along with Chan and Samra, three GSDM alumni (Christina Thompson DMD 06, Jose Alamo DMD 06, and Frank Casarella DMD 88), a Georgetown School of Dentistry alumnus, a hygienist, and several dental assistants comprised the dental team. With the help of a local rotary club, the clinic was set up at an elementary school—two computer labs provided a functional workspace with ample power sources to run the generator for the makeshift dental operatories. One room featured 12 oral surgery chairs and the other room consisted of two operative chairs and a hygiene chair. “We saw a lot of serious issues. It was like nothing Raman or I had ever seen before,” said Chan. ”It was pretty obvious that it had been a long time, or maybe never, since many of the patients had visited the dentist.”
The dental team was able to see 868 patients ranging from 2- to 80-years-old. “One of the great things about this experience was that we got to see a diverse group of people from the village and city of Penonomé,” said Samra, who felt that the language barrier posed the biggest challenge of the trip. “Thankfully we had a great group of students from a local college that dedicated their free time to help us with translation.”
When not at the clinic, Chan and Samra visited the Panama Canal, the historic quarter of Casco Viejo in Panama City, and a tourist village up in the mountains. “The people of Panama were extremely welcoming,” said Samra. “We were met with open arms everywhere we went.”
After leaving Panama on January, 26, 2015, both students looked back at the externship as an eye-opening and rewarding experience. “Seeing so many patients and learning from a great group of dentists—the experience was something I will remember for the rest of my dental career,” said Samra. They both agree they’d like to take part in a similar, future mission trip.
“I’m very proud of Christopher and Raman for their hard work at the clinic in Penonomé,” said Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter. “I’m also very pleased to see our alumni continuing to make time to take part in mission trips after graduation. It is gratifying to know that service to our global community is a commitment that our graduates learn here and take out into the world with them as they enter the profession.”
Photos are available on Facebook and Flickr.
Submitted by GSDM Commmunications.