Dr. G on a Mission!

I want to share a most special and eventful visit that took place just last month!  I traveled to Jamaica with a team and was able to get the message across of the link between oral health care and an individual’s overall health via lectures and dialogue with the media.  Myself and fellow dentist Dr. Boksman went on a Goodwill Mission and were able to oversee our students providing services for people living in under-served communities.  It was undoubtedly a fulfilling experience.  Over 300 people were treated on one day along with an additional group on the following day.  All of these services were provided free of charge and we were told that the services amounted to over 2.3 million JMD! Its great that we were able to be of assistance and reach out to those under-served areas.

(Students perform tooth extractions…)

(Dr. Boksman and I #GetToTheRootOfIt)

Another highlight was the local media’s interest in the University of Technologies School of Oral Health Sciences and their initiatives and overall influence surrounding oral health on island.  Stories were published by the main media houses there and it was a great way to get oral health information out to the public as it’s a known issue that there generally isn’t enough emphasis placed on dental care on the island. (Below are links to some of the articles that were also posted online!)

Jamaica Observer - 2014/06/30 - Take care of your mouth and live healthier, says expert

Loop Jamaica Article - 2014/06/17 - Professor at University of Toronto heads to Jamaica for dental care mission

petchary.wordpress.com - 2014/07/08 - Wanted: More Jamaican Dentists

hpetchary.wordpress.com - 2014/07/07 - The Importance of oral health and the generosity of Dr,G

In any event, it was amazing returning to the School of Oral Health Sciences and seeing how much it has grown in terms of its infrastructure, and student population in such a short period of time.  It only continues to grow and we are all grateful for the assistance of the donors that contributed for our goodwill mission and beyond because without them none of this would be possible. 

I look forward to 2015 when the first batch of Dental Students will be graduating!  That will be a GREAT moment and I am sure they will have many more to come. 

I returned to Jamaica at the beginning of April to continue with the didactic portion of the course that I had started in February. Luckily this time I was able to bring with me all the technological equipment that customs had not let through before. It was such a relief that it went smoothly this time around so that we could complete the laboratory section of this course. The first day, Sunday, I spent the majority of the time doing a review of cleaning and shaping the root canal system, as well as obturation using warm vertical condensation of gutta percha. The students were not able to afford to purchase nickel titanium files that are necessary to create the necessary shapes of the root canals, so customs allowed me to bring down a generous, personal supply of the files from my own office in Toronto. The students spent the day doing the laboratory exercises and becoming familiar with all the various techniques that were taught.  Everyone passed the laboratory component with flying colors.

On Monday Dr. Brynne Reece, who is a visiting dentist enrolled in the endodontic program at the University of Maryland, came down for an externship program at U Tech. I spent one full day “up close and personal” giving her a crash course on how to do endodontics predictably and painlessly. The day wrapped up by performing a live patient demonstration to reinforce the concepts and techniques taught in the morning.

On Tuesday morning I administered the final exam to the second year dental students. I am happy and proud to report that they all passed with flying colors. I am looking forward to maintaining ongoing communication with the students and faculty to make sure the learning continues in the most efficient way. I will be returning in the fall when this class enters 3^rd year dentistry and they start working with live patients. I will be able to supervise them along with the other faculty members. I can not stress enough how special of an experience this has been for me and how good it feels to be a part of helping Jamaica improve its dental care for those in need.