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SPRING, Texas--Texas biological dentist Dr. William P. Glaros and his wife, Joanne, returned to Guatemala to work with other health-care professionals to provide care to the residents of a small town near Retalhuleu.

During the 2011 mission, Dr. Glaros offered dental care to more than 300 residents of a small town in Guatemala. Other medical practitioners provided vitamin A for infants and children up to 5 years old, Albendazole, and triage for other residents.

Albendazole, a vital medicine in the fight against parasites, treats neurocysticercosis (an infection caused by the pork tapeworm in the muscles, brain, and eyes that may cause seizures, brain swelling, and vision problems).

To maximize the value of money used by Faith in Practice, practitioners pay their flight, food, and shelter expenses. Dr. Glaros and his wife take a week each January to join other professionals in sharing their skill, knowledge, and compassion with residents who have very little access to care.

Free root canals provided

In 2011, the Glaroses spent two days in the village of Las Marias working in a school made of cinder block. Rooms were set up inside the school for a pharmacy, a lab, general medicine, dentistry, ophthalmology, cardiology, and pediatrics. The school had electricity and running water, which made providing care easier.

The next two days were spent at the Hilario Galinda hospital. The dental clinic at the hospital was a bright new building with air conditioning. At each site, volunteers were ready to assist as needed.

The detailed preparation for these trips is also a reason that the Glaroses return each year. Local Guatemalan network directors are setting the stage with invitations to the patients before the U.S. team arrives. Supplies and medications arrive carefully packed so that team members have what they need, including food and safe drinking water.

In 2011, the U.S. team provided care to 1,835 men, women, and children and 323 dental patients for a total 2,158 people served. Of this number, there are personal stories of sadness, despair, triumph, and hope.

"We cannot know how these visits ultimately affect the patients seeking care, but we do know that at least one woman has hope that she will not continue into complete blindness because she will receive surgery that should save the sight in one eye," said Joanne Glaros.

"We know patients received hearing aids that will certainly change their life situation. We know medications will alleviate pain and stop infections, and that teeth extracted will stop infections from spreading."

The prayer of Dr. Glaros and his wife is that the four days spent in Guatemala will improve and brighten individual lives and eventually the community.

For more information, call (281) 440-1190 or visit www.biologicaldentist.com or www.faithinpractice.org.

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