AUSTRALIAN DENTAL TEAM

3rd TO 19th JANUARY 2006

VENUE
TASHILING TIBETAN CAMP
CHHORE PATAN, POKHARA     
jAMPALING (Dulegaunda)    

SUBMITTED By
Bishnu Shrestha
Sr. Dental Assistant
ADRA Nepal
Phone: +977-11- 661292
Fax: +977-11-661886
E-Mail: bishnu.shrestha@adranepal.org

PROGRAM SUMMARY:

ADRA's dental program in Nepal began in early 1990s when overseas Rotary Dental Team from Australia visited Nepal; they provided free dental services through dental camps organized at remote areas of Kavre district and Leprosy Commune, Khokana. Since then the program has gained momentum and has stretched to considerable proportion. With technical assistance and equipment donations from Rotary Australia, a dental clinic was set up at the ADRA medical center, Banepa in 1995. The clinic has since provided dental services such as extractions, fillings, scaling and oral health education to thousands of poor patients through the static clinic camps. At present, four dental assistants are providing regular services from the clinic and visiting remote areas frequently.

OBJECTIVE OF ADRA'S DENTAL PROGRAM:

1. Increase the overall awareness of the people in rural areas regarding the importance of oral & dental health.
2. Provide dental health education to school children regarding the importance of dental health.
3. Provide dental health services namely filling, extraction, scaling and oral health education to at least 5000 people every year from the static clinic and outreach camps.
4. To co-operate with Rotary Australia dental teams in providing at least four dental camps every year.

OBVJECTIVES OF POKHARA DENTAL CAMP:

1. To provide free dental services to the needy Tibetan refugees and surrounding Nepali people.
2. Provide preventive services like filling, scaling and extraction of the tooth in order to take out the pain from their mouth.
3. Skill sharing with local volunteers.
4. Oral hygiene teaching for the local school children.

SUPPORT AND PARTICIPATION

The list of people who participated from the heart for the needy people are:

1. FROM AUSTRALIA

Chris Catsanis, Dr. Terry Wong, Dr. Malcolm Campbell, Vanek Bollen, , Susan Learmont, Alex Fernandez, Gail Fernandez, Alex Sweeney, Rebecca Wayne, Danielle Angove.

2. FROM NEPAL

ADRA Nepal joins with the Australian Dental team supporting them with medical registration, transporting all the dental equipment and supplies to work site, providing chairs with lights and a generator for the duration of camp. One of ADRA Nepal's best dental Assistants, Sr. Dental Assistant Bishnu Kumar Shrestha traveled together with Driver Sushil Lama and helper Hira Tamang of the mobile truck also joined hands and worked with the Australian Dental Team providing a valuable cross cultural link.

3. FROM TASHILING TIBETAN CAMP, Chhore Patan, Pokhara.

" Big support from Tashiling Tibetan Camp by providing the working area for the team.
" Support from the Tibetan Camp Chief - Mr.Norbu Tsering and staff.
" Support from Hotel Mandala - Mr. Narayan Pahari, Family and staff.
" Lodrik Welfare - Mr. Wangyal Lama, Jampaling, Dulegaunda.
" The other individuals who helped in registration, crowed controlled and other activities are Samdup, Sonam Tsering, Tenzin Palden, Sherab Gyaltso, Tenzin Nyima, Kunga, Lobsang Yeshi, Kalsang(Bobby), Nyima Rinzin, Thupten.

BENEFICIARIES:

Through this free dental camp the Tibetan Refugees from Tashiling Tibetan Camp, Chhore Patan, Pokhara, Kaski district and Jamparling Tibetan Refugee Camp, Dulegaunda, Tanahu District's Tibetan people and surrounding Nepali people came to receive the benefit of the free dental services.

ACTIVITIES:

During this free dental camp, the service activities that were performed was scaling, filling, extraction, oral health instruction and oral & dental health education to the remote village students.
Good management of storing the supplies and the best sterilization work was implemented.

ACHIEVEMENTS:

The camp provided dental services to 710 patients from Tibetan Camps and the surrounding Nepali people. Out of 710 patients, the different procedure activities performed was 968, and out of which 374 teeth were extracted, 88 peoples teeth were cleaned (scaling), and 426 teeth were filled. This featured 39% extraction, 9% scaling, 44% filling and 8% oral health instruction only. Out of 710 patients 80 patients were only provided with the screening and counseling on brushing technique and diet (Oral health instruction). Some clients who needed complicated dental services were referred to dental hospital. Those who needed no treatment were provided with oral health instruction.

Dental and oral health education & preventive method was provided to school going children's from surrounding and remote (Mustang) village students. They were also taught about the need of brushing and its technique. They were taught about teeth, important of teeth, functions etc. The brushing technique was demonstrated within the students. Toothbrush was distributed to all the students participated in the class and everybody brushed their teeth.

CONSTRAINTS:

" Due to present political situation the team was not able to work in Jamparling (Dulegaunda), Tanahu district as according to working plan.
" No supplies for the preventive measures like pamphlets etc.
" Poor lighting

LESSON LEARNED:

The local volunteers make the teams life easy and smooth in work.

RECOMMENDATION:

" Prior to dental health education, organize the posters and pamphlets.
" The dental model and brush to demonstrate the brushing technique to the clients and to the students and etc.
" More of lower cow horn forceps and Luxator elevators, Syringes with aspirating and none aspirating.
" More of glassionomer cement (GIC) would be good in shaving the time and seeing more people rather than doing composite fillings.

Client's thought about the free dental camp.

Over all Thoughts of the clients about the dental camp who received the service at the camp:

" With this kind of free dental camp, people who can not pay will get the treatment for their pain.
" May also need to provide the counseling on how to take care of the teeth.
" May need to do more advertisement of the camp so that the people in pain will get the best service.
" They are really helpful and charitable towards people like us. We hope to have such camps in the days to come.
" The people thank both Australian Dental team and ADRA Nepal for providing such a good camp at their doorstep.

The camp data report.

SN Date Camp Site Treatment Procedures Total Procedure Male Female Total Patient
                                                            Scaling Filling Extraction OHI
1 5-Jan-06 Chhore Patan (Tashiling) 8 23 19 4 54 37 4 41
2 6-Jan-06 Chhore Patan (Tashiling) 12 25 35 5 77 22 38 60
3 7-Jan-06 Saturday OFF DAY 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 8-Jan-06 Chhore Patan (Tashiling) 19 39 28 7 93 30 33 63
5 9-Jan-06 Chhore Patan (Tashiling) 8 51 50 10 119 29 55 84
6 10-Jan-06 Chhore Patan (Tashiling) 12 68 32 7 119 41 44 85
7 11-Jan-06 Chhore Patan (Tashiling) 10 30 6 4 50 23 15 38
8 12-Jan-06 Chhore Patan (Tashiling) 10 42 37 7 96 23 46 69
9 13-Jan-06 Dulegaunda (Jamparling) 0 20 67 5 92 32 41 73
10 14-Jan-06 Saturday- OFF DAY 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
11 15-Jan-06 Chhore Patan (Tashiling) 2 46 37 13 98 33 39 72
12 16-Jan-06 Chhore Patan (Tashiling) 2 47 35 9 93 25 46 71
13 17-Jan-06 Chhore Patan (Tashiling) 5 35 28 9 77 16 38 54
Total 88 426 374 80 968 311 399 710

TEAM IN ACTION!!!

Thank You.