WATERTOWN, Massachusetts--Pulpdent Corporation 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.
Many of Peru's indigenous children suffer from untreated dental disease and limited knowledge of good dental hygiene habits. The absence of affordable help and knowledge contributes to the suffering of these marginalized and underserved people.
The Andean Dental Health Initiative outreach effort used the Pulpdent products to improve oral health among the local people.
Preventative dental education and water fluoridation is nonexistent in Huánuco, Peru. Because of a fear of dentists and the cost of dental care, treatment is sought primarily for emergency extractions.
These extractions are usually done without the use of 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 absenteeism.
"Our first goal is to educate about good dental health," said Heidi Philley, RDH, program coordinator for the Dental Health Initiative. "We instruct the children on the importance of brushing their teeth, 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."
For more information, call (800) 343-4342 or visit Pulpdent.
