406 260-6518 Dr. Drew Cahoon dgcahoon@gmail.com
Deseret Int; Academy of LDS Dentists; Rotary Int; Dentaid UK
Give people fish - they eat for a day; Teach them to fish - they eat for a lifetime
Education: Assist dental schools in East Africa to ensure they have the means to improve education and clinical training within the dental school plus post-graduate continuing education experience. Help provide education exchange and distance learning with western dental and medical facilities for clinical, laboratory, and equipment technology.
Dental Association: Consultation & educational exchange with local dental associations, and national regulatory bodies is a must before we enter their communities to provide dental treatment. We must ensure that humanitarian services support the long term goals of the country’s Oral Health Policy and Objectives.
Community Dentistry: Provide treatment for those without access to adequate Dental Services. Oral hygiene instruction and preventive services must be our main focus in primary schools. Making children aware of the availability of local dental services and encouraging them to seek treatment through education and provision of Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) within their classrooms, fosters a greater appreciation for their own local dental professionals.
What is community Outreach Dentistry?
Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) is the technique of removing tooth decay with hand instruments and restoring the cavity with an adhesive restorative material. It is an ideal procedure for millions of people in less industrialized countries and certain special groups such as refugees and people living in deprived communities, giving them the opportunity to receive restorative dental care. The ART approach enables the dental profession to treat dental caries and provide treatment for children residing in areas where electricity is not available or in areas which have electricity, but where the community cannot afford expensive dental equipment.
Western dentists often go to developing countries and provide expensive western dental care to communities which will never have the follow-up treatment which is needed. This raises their expectations but does not foster the opportunity for long-term care within their community. By training local dental auxiliaries to provide Community Dental Outreach (Oral Hygiene Instruction and ART) within the primary schools in their area, we can elevate community dental health and awareness, provide effective treatment within rural schools and enhance the local dental professional’s ability to provide dental care for his own community.
