BVI Partners Bring Dental Care to Haiti

Posted by Yvonne Crabbe 
on May 11, 2012
 
The results included sixty-eight extractions, thirteen fillings, and one minor surgery that gave front teeth to a little boy who’d had none.   Dental Health Across Borders, a vibrant collaboration of caring people from the BVI, Haiti and Denmark, brought specialized care to over a hundred Haitians during three hot, dusty days in April.  Hands On Volunteers, the BVI Dental Association, Rotary Club of Road Town, Denmark’s Dabelsteen Clinic, Haiti’s Kay Lasante Clinic, and the Hon. Dr. Orlando Smith pooled resources and worked together to join thousands of grassroots NGO’s who, despite the corruption in Haiti blocking most large-scale disaster relief, continue to help in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake.

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Dr. Anne Marie Dabelsteen of Denmark treats one of over 100 Haitians who received care through the BVI's Dental Health Across Borders 
project in April.


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School children listen to important tips on how to take care of their teeth, including rinsing with water after eating or drinking fruit, as part of a  
BVI grassroots outreach to Haiti.
 
Dental Health Across Borders (DHAB) came into being through the vision and initiative of BVI dentist Dr. Annelene Clausen and Rotary Club of Road Town.  When Dr. Clausen learned of the work being done by Hands On Volunteers, a BVI charity that nurtures children of poverty in Port au Prince, she offered her services.  She then took further steps, through Rotary Club, and put together a creative way to help fill two needs; the BVI Dental Surgery’s need for a Mobile Dental Office and Hands On Volunteer’s need for dental care for Harmony House, its children’s home in Haiti.  The result was a win-win project to serve both Haiti and the BVI.
 
With a seed grant from Dr. Orlando Smith and matching funds from the BVI Dental Association, a long-awaited Mobile Dental Office was purchased for the BVI government’s Dental Surgery.  This Mobile Unit was then loaned to Hands On Volunteers (HOV) for DHAB’s outreach to Haiti. Rotary Club of Road Town, the project’s mentoring group, generously provided dental supplies to serve a hundred Haitians, along with additional funding for on-site costs. 
 
Although the project’s goal to serve 100 people put a strain on Hands On Volunteers’ limited resources, the BVI grassroots group was able to serve as the main partner in facilitating the project’s set up in the BVI and also the overall implementation of DHAB on-site in Haiti.   Funds raised through its recent BVI stage show, “Ringmaster”, helped cover travel expenses for founders Joanne and Sarah Penney, along with administration and other costs that arose. HOV’s experience in Haiti and its network of friends there were invaluable in the success and cost-efficiency of DHAB.
 
Thanks to all the volunteer hours dedicated to DHAB through both HOV and the other stakeholders, the average financial outlay per person for specialized dental care amid Haiti’s considerable challenges was about $7.00 USD.
 
Shortly before DHAB’s Haiti launch date of April 18th, the BVI’s Dr. Clausen was suddenly unable to make the trip.  Instead, she called on her colleague in Copenhagen, Dr. Anne Marie Dabelsteen, to come to the rescue.  Dr. Dabelsteen, who works in her family’s dental clinic and teaches at the University of Copenhagen, made room in her demanding schedule and, along with her Assistant, Vicky Hansen, set off across the Atlantic to a Caribbean island where dental and other services are known to be “nearly none”.  The Dabelsteen Clinic also kindly provided travel funding and paid leave.
 
Working with Hands On Volunteers and its Haitian partner, the faith-based Kay Lasante Clinic (http://www.bishopgumbleton.org/), Dr. Dablesteen and Vicky put the BVI’s Mobile Dental Office – and their considerable expertise – to very good use.  They not only treated over 100 people ranging in age from 3 to 73, but also screened another 100 school children and, thanks to the Creole fluency of Kay Lasante’s Director, Kara Grant,   provided Preventative Education to each and every person seen.
 
While 60% of the school children screened at Institution Mixte Netus in Delmas 33 had excellent oral health, 40% were in need of extensive care, with decay and gum disease the main problems. Many adults also had painful, untreated dental problems.  For most, DHAB’s dental care was the first they’d ever had.  Dr. Dablesteen’s specialized expertise in Pediatric Dentistry and the painless injection of anesthetic was, to say the least, remarkably helpful.
 
Dave, at eight years old, had no front teeth.  His Mother had been told by her local doctor to give him more milk.  Dr. Dablesteen made two small incisions in Dave’s very thick gums and, as if by magic, his teeth appeared.  This is just one of the small miracles that - thanks to all the project partners, including our skilled and selfless Haitian friends -  graced the success of Dental Health Across Borders.