Oral health is a fundamental component of general health, and there is a global need for oral health care. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers oral disease a major public health problem that, when untreated, results in pain and suffering, impairment of function, and reduced quality of life. With limited access to oral health services in developing countries, teeth are left untreated or are extracted because of pain or discomfort, and, in light of changing living conditions, the WHO anticipates there will be a growth in the prevalence of dental carries, oral cancers and other oral diseases around the world.
With the current and growing prevalence of oral disease around the world, the demand for educated oral health providers is high – the need for care far exceeds the availability of care, particularly in developing countries according to the FDI World Dental Federation. That is why HVO’s oral health program seeks to teach, train and professionally sustain oral health providers in resource-scarce countries around the world.
The work of HVO oral health volunteers brings essential professional support and development. Recent reports from HVO’s oral health projects highlight the importance of this work and the positive impact it has on local providers and students at HVO overseas project sites. One HVO volunteer to Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) reported of his assignment:
I am very pleased with the whole experience overall. The students and residents were extremely keen on learning. We kept our learning/labs very interactive, which really helped… I was very honored to spend time with such great professionals and students who are willing to absorb as much information as you can give them.”
HVO volunteers are contributing essential teaching and training, but they are also building a global community and improving their own professional perspectives and skills. Another volunteer to HVO’s oral health project in Tanzania wrote to future volunteers:
Indeed my experience for the whole trip was amazing. [I learned] so many new things that would definitely help in my future endeavors. Getting to know a different culture, their techniques and their customs was delightful. I would without a doubt recommend to others to go and experience [volunteering for] themselves because it can’t be described in a few lines.”
Get involved with HVO’s oral health program – begin the volunteer placement process or contact us to learn more.