Past Missions to Honduras with Global Dental Brigades
Mission
Our mission is to raise oral health awareness on the University of Maryland campus with an annual 5K event, which will also fundraise to provide dental care for children who could not otherwise afford it in rural Honduras.
About Us
Dental care is something we often take for granted in America. In rural Honduras, over 80 percent of the population does not have access to dental services. Oral health problems, such as gum disease and tooth decay, have swept through communities in Central America and poor oral hygiene habits continue to spread to future generations.
The University of Maryland's chapter of Global Dental Brigades(GBD) has been on three mission trips to Central America in the past few years. During each trip, thousands of fillings, extractions, and fluoride treatments are provided to patients that come through the mobile clinic. Furthermore, students in GDB provide oral hygiene instructions to children in the hopes that preventative education will decrease the severity of dental problems seen in those villages. Every village presented with rampant cavities, especially in between the front teeth. Volunteer professionals provided as many dental restorations as possible, but most of the time the cavities observed in the patients extended too deep and required extraction. In fact, more than 95 percent of the dental consultations in rural areas are for surgical extractions.
Since dental insurance is not available in Honduras and people are uneducated about the consequences of poor oral hygiene, the majority of the population suffers from oral diseases. Additionally, basic at-home oral care products such as toothpaste have costs that exceed the average daily income in the country, so most Hondurans do not invest in preventative measures; instead, people often seek out dental care as a last resort when they are in unbearable pain.
If communities could learn about how to change daily practices and diets, as well as understand the importance of preventative dental care, who knows what could be accomplished?
Clearly, oral health awareness and education in Honduras has the potential to make a profound difference in the lives of generations of individuals living in rural communities. Gum disease and tooth decay are easily preventable, and we hope to support efforts to combat these issues with our Miles for Smiles 5k.
Thank you for your support! With your help, we can spread smiles around the world. ♥ ♥ ♥
Miles for Smiles is becoming an official University of Maryland student organization! As required, here is a link to the student organization website disclaimer.
http://www.studentorg.umd.edu/disclaimer.html
Our mission is to raise oral health awareness on the University of Maryland campus with an annual 5K event, which will also fundraise to provide dental care for children who could not otherwise afford it in rural Honduras.
About Us
Dental care is something we often take for granted in America. In rural Honduras, over 80 percent of the population does not have access to dental services. Oral health problems, such as gum disease and tooth decay, have swept through communities in Central America and poor oral hygiene habits continue to spread to future generations.
The University of Maryland's chapter of Global Dental Brigades(GBD) has been on three mission trips to Central America in the past few years. During each trip, thousands of fillings, extractions, and fluoride treatments are provided to patients that come through the mobile clinic. Furthermore, students in GDB provide oral hygiene instructions to children in the hopes that preventative education will decrease the severity of dental problems seen in those villages. Every village presented with rampant cavities, especially in between the front teeth. Volunteer professionals provided as many dental restorations as possible, but most of the time the cavities observed in the patients extended too deep and required extraction. In fact, more than 95 percent of the dental consultations in rural areas are for surgical extractions.
Since dental insurance is not available in Honduras and people are uneducated about the consequences of poor oral hygiene, the majority of the population suffers from oral diseases. Additionally, basic at-home oral care products such as toothpaste have costs that exceed the average daily income in the country, so most Hondurans do not invest in preventative measures; instead, people often seek out dental care as a last resort when they are in unbearable pain.
If communities could learn about how to change daily practices and diets, as well as understand the importance of preventative dental care, who knows what could be accomplished?
Clearly, oral health awareness and education in Honduras has the potential to make a profound difference in the lives of generations of individuals living in rural communities. Gum disease and tooth decay are easily preventable, and we hope to support efforts to combat these issues with our Miles for Smiles 5k.
Thank you for your support! With your help, we can spread smiles around the world. ♥ ♥ ♥
Miles for Smiles is becoming an official University of Maryland student organization! As required, here is a link to the student organization website disclaimer.
http://www.studentorg.umd.edu/disclaimer.html