Tag Archives: dentist

TLDP Team 6, Nov 2024

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Team 6

Team 6 Report

Dr Mary Tiutiunnik
Ana de Jesus Barreto Tilman (AT)
Ana Jose Martins (AM)
Zaino Tison Martins (Tison)

Week 2

Deonisio Anyonio Mendonca (Maubisse Solar Smiles)
Lucas Mendonca Rodrigues (Maubisse Solar Smiles)
Diamantino (Tino) Correia Morais
Ana Paula dos Santos Tavares Salgado (AP)
Dr Jordan Kolsky

Mary’s Arrival and Clinic Setup

Mary arrived in Dili on the afternoon Qantas flight. Despite the crosses on her bags, she was waved through customs after Ana Paula produced the necessary documents. After some shopping, Mary, Ana Paula, and Ana Martins arrived at the Maubara clinic in plenty of time for dinner.

Sunday, 10th November – Clinic Organization

After Sunday Mass, Ana Paula, Mary, and Ana Martins spent the day organizing the clinic. Tidying up took most of the day, but the heat eventually got the better of us. We decided to cool off with a walk on the beach.

Monday, 11th November – St. John Paul II School

We returned to St. John Paul II School at Pauirobo to continue treating the Class One students. We had previously visited this school in October 2023 and January 2024 and were keen to finish the treatment. Unfortunately, only five children had returned consent forms. Despite this, we had a full day treating the students, community patients, and the Carmelite sisters.

A Team Effort

Tuesday, 12th November – Public Holiday (Santa Cruz Massacre)

As it was a public holiday, only one patient came in. He had a severely damaged anterior tooth from a motorbike accident—a common occurrence in the region. This allowed for a tutorial on anterior root canal procedures. Inspired by the messiness of the root canal box, Mary and Ana Paula spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon organizing all the root canal supplies in the clinic.

Wednesday and Thursday, 13th and 14th November – Tapamanuhulo Primary School

We visited Tapamanuhulo Primary School, located about a 45-minute drive from Maubara along a spectacular coastline. The 208-pupil school had not been visited for years. We screened Classes 4, 5, and 6 and treated the students in the morning. The afternoon was spent treating the teachers and community patients. Despite the lack of previous dental care, the children’s teeth were not in too bad a shape. The teachers only required a cleaning. On Thursday afternoon, we packed up to prepare for a meeting with the vice minister of health, which was unfortunately canceled later that evening.

In the Classroom

Friday, 15th November – Return to Tapamanuhulo

Mary, Ana Paula, and Ana Martins decided to return to Tapamanuhulo to screen Classes 1, 2, and 3. We also applied silver fluoride where needed. Upon returning to Maubara, we found that 21 local residents had presented for treatment. As word spread about the foreign dentist, a second chair was set up. Surprisingly, 15 of these patients only required cleanings, and we finished just after 1 PM in time for lunch. Interestingly, Maubara people seem to have better teeth compared to other parts of Timor-Leste. One theory is that their water source—bore water—may contain some natural fluoride.

Saturday, 16th and Sunday, 17th November – Maubisse

We met Dr. Jordan Kolsky at 1:30 PM upon his arrival from Bali. After a quick shopping trip for supplies, we headed to Maubisse. The cool weather in Maubisse was a welcome relief. We met Deon and Lucas, the Maubisse dental nurses employed by the Solar Smiles charity. Lucas was a classmate of Tison and Ana Martins in Kupang, and they were happy to reconnect.

Intrepid Drivers Needed

After Sunday Mass, we set off to the health centre at Suco Liurai, where we would set up our first clinic. The road was rough, but after about an hour, we reached the small village.

Maubisse Sunset

Monday, 18th November – Suco Liurai Clinic

The weather was bright and sunny after a heavy shower the night before. As usual in Maubisse, we were kept busy removing decayed, infected teeth. The oral health of people in the Maubisse area seems to be in worse condition compared to Maubara.

Team , drivers and health centre staff at Suco Liurai

Tuesday, 19th November – Suco Betulala

Mary and Ana Paula drove to Dili early for a meeting with the Minister of Health, but it was canceled halfway there. The rest of the team spent the day at what they considered the worst venue, dealing with challenging extractions. We managed to see all the patients by mid-afternoon, and the Maubisse dental nurses quickly arranged for us to shift to another health centre.

Wednesday, 20th November – Flexia

Flexia Health Centre turned out to be our busiest unplanned clinic. Many patients required multiple extractions and fillings. We worked until early evening and had to pack up in semi-darkness after realizing there were no lights. Luckily, Flexia is located on a good, sealed road, so the drive back to town was relatively smooth despite the fog.

Thursday, 21st and Friday, 22nd November – Suco Edy

Our last venue was an open-air health centre in a small village. Despite the rough road leading there, we managed to treat patients for one and a half busy days. We were pleased to pack up only once, rather than twice.

Suco Edy

Suco Edy

Return to Dili and Farewell

On Friday, we returned to Dili to farewell Dr. Jordan Kolsky and meet Dr. Jeremy Lung, a former team dentist who is now a businessman at Timor Plaza.

Our Final Dinner

Monday, 25th November and Tuesday, 26th November – Tapamanuhulo School (Final Visit)

Mary, Ana Tilman, Ana Paula, Tison, and Ana Martins returned to Tapamanuhulo to finish the treatment for the younger students in Classes 1, 2, and 3. After the cool weather in Maubisse, it was hard to adjust to the heat again. Many of the children we had screened earlier in the week were absent, as school was almost finished for the year. Nonetheless, a steady stream of community patients kept us busy.

Summary of Treatments

  • Total patients: 408
  • Exams: 408
  • Extractions: 317 teeth
  • Fillings: 144 teeth
  • Fissure Sealants: 64 teeth
  • Silver Fluoride applications: 126 teeth
  • Scaling: 56 patients

Conclusion:

The team made excellent progress in treating a wide range of dental issues, despite the challenges posed by the heat, limited resources, and difficult roads. The local communities were very receptive, and the overall health of the patients we treated was improved through these efforts.

Blood, Sweat and No Tears

– Peter Shakes

Peter Shakes and Father Bong, our indispensable, host in Railaco.
Peter Shakes and Father Bong, one of our indispensable hosts in Railaco.

Blood- Caries rules here and exo is all to often the clear and merciful solution.

Sweat- No surprise really given the proximity of the equator. But be prepared- it is bloody hot.
No Tears- Not for us but the world’s newest nation has had more than its fair share.
                   Perhaps that’s why you might give it a go.
                   Or perhaps you might just want to meet some truly inspired and inspirational people like the one in this photo ( not the Anglo male- that’s me ).
                   Or perhaps you might just want to make a difference, small as it might be.

 

Not enough dentists in Timor Leste

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Typical dental condition in Timor
This swelling arose from a baby tooth that didn’t fall out by itself. Fueled by TB infection, it grew until it covered this 12 year old boy’s teeth so he could no longer eat. It took him 4 days to travel to a doctor

Timor Leste (East Timor) has a population of 1.1 million people. Of the less than 10 dentists in the country, almost all practice privately in Dili, the capital. There are a few free dental clinics – also located in Dili.  In comparison, the vast majority of East Timorese live rurally, reliant on subsistence farming. Hence, for the majority of East Timorese, dental treatment is something that is both financially and logistically unattainable. The Timorese government has tried to address this need by employing Indonesian-trained East Timorese dental ‘nurses’ in some rural hospitals. Unfortunately, these individuals are poorly trained, have minimal experience and are expected to attend their communities’ dental needs with almost no equipment.

The Timor Leste Dental Program is based in Maubara, a town 60km west of Dili, a trip of about 1 1/2 hours. Each year, several teams of volunteer Australian dentists, dental assistants and other dental professionals give two weeks to help our nearest neighbours. The purpose of the program is two-fold: Firstly,  to support the rurally-emplaced Timorese dental nurses with equipment, training and mentoring so that they can better serve their communities. Secondly, to provide much-needed dental care to the people living in rural areas of western Timor L’este.

Timorese communities suffer from high rates of dental decay and much of our treatment involves extraction of teeth that have caused pain for years. Many people have never seen a dentist before. The chewing of betel nut is common and so there are also many extractions due to gum disease. There is also a high incidence of oral cancer and tuberculosis-influenced oral infection. We see many things over there that simply do not exist here in Australia.