GSDM Changing Smiles, Changing Lives
Katy Bednar DMD 12 recently returned from a mission trip with Dentistry for All (DFA) to Comitancillo, in the region of San Marcos, Guatemala. Her stay in Guatemala lasted a total of 18 days, including travel time to the remote rural area, ten hours outside of any major city. Bednar had an excellent experience on the trip, led by DFA Directors Drs. Shane Fisher and Brad Krusky DMD 97, and was really happy that she chose to participate in two weeks of this mission.
She said, “The first week there were five dentists, including me and also an oral and maxillofacialsurgeon. All of the dentists were phenomenal teachers and I saw amazing oral surgeries performed, including surgery to correct ‘tongue-tied’ conditions.” Bednar continued, “The first week I really was able to learn a lot and get my feet wet, then the second week it was just me and the two directors, so I was able to work independently.”
Bednar commented that the trip was very well organized including everything from transportation for volunteers, to triage practices, to the fact that each dentist had an assistant working with them at all times. “When you’re working out of a tackle box, having an assistant really helps you work more efficiently,” said Bednar. She also joked that now that she’s back at School she “really misses her assistant.”
Bednar performed numerous extractions and was able to gain more experience suturing. Together the group treated 433 patients over the two-week span, with an average of 3.7 procedures completed per patient.
“One of the highlights of the trip for me was treating a lot of older men and women with root tips that needed to be removed,” explained Bednar. “These people have just been living with pain I can’t imagine. Being able to remove the tips, suture them up, and know that in a few weeks they will be pain free is really rewarding.”
She also enjoyed that the dentists were able to treat entire families at once. She cited one example where a mother of eight brought in all of her children for treatment, so that at one point all of the chairs were filled with her kids and she was just walking around in a circle checking on all of them.
Bednar did have to navigate a few challenges, including treating patients that only spoke the mountain dialect of Mam. However, she said that the organization of DFA, paired with the partnerships they have with local Peace Corps workers and the nonprofit Asociacion Maya-Mam de Investigacion y Desarrollo (AMMID), makes it easy for the volunteer group to come into the community and treat patients from all of the neighboring villages.
“I would absolutely recommend this trip to other students. DFA not only brings dental care to those without access, but restores a quality of life that would otherwise be intangible. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to volunteer with DFA; changing smiles, changing lives, one tooth at a time.”
In fact, Bednar enjoyed the trip so much she is hoping to volunteer again and is working on recruiting her fiancé to come along too.
Photos are available on facebook and flickr.
Two short video clips: A Little Perspective and Pep Talk from Brad are also available on GSDM’s youtube channel .