By Roger Bjoroy-Karlsen
Many children in Roatan are introduced to Coca-Cola as babies, and some don't visit a dentist until they are 15 years old, enduring years without proper dental care. The Rotary Club of Roatan Utila Guanaja is on a mission to change that by educating children and their parents about dental hygiene.
On a scorching September morning, the village of Mud Hole on Roatan's northern shores was buzzing with excitement. Despite the heat, 22 eager kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd-grade students from "Centro Educación Toribio Bastillo" gathered to learn about personal dental care. Our dedicated members, Cecilia and Angela, brought along Johnny, a stuffed puppet and honorary member, to demonstrate proper tooth-brushing techniques. Johnny’s twins are situated at Utila and Guanaja.
The children were also given toothbrushes to brush along with Johnny, and later to take home.
Johnny makes sure that everyone brushes the right way, supported by Cecilia Mendez and Angela Claire Bjoroy-Karlsen
When asked, some children said they brush their teeth twice daily, but the question remained: are they doing it correctly? The lesson was followed by fluoride treatments for all participants to ensure they are.
This visit marked our second trip to this school. Cecilia Mendez, attending for the first time, translated the lesson into Spanish. "This is very useful knowledge for the children," she remarked as she left.
Cecilia will be responsible for following up with this school and another in the village of Hottest Sparrow, primarily to administer fluoride treatments.
Cecilia follows up with fluor treatment
Lessons like these are crucial for raising awareness and helping children maintain their dental hygiene before it becomes a serious issue. However, President Angela acknowledged that this alone isn't enough.
"Our way ahead is also to engage the parents and create that awareness among them as well," she stated.
In one corner of the classroom, four empty 1.25-liter bottles of Coca-Cola served as a stark reminder that sugar-free drinks are rare in this community. After the lesson, some students picked up paper bags filled with sweets, likely leftovers from National Day celebrations. We have a long journey ahead to turn the tide, but as people of action, we embrace the challenge!
The toothbrushes are donated by the dentist and our fellow Rotarian, John Raabe from Colorado, and the Raabe Family Dentistry Foundation.
Today's victory!
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