Visiting dentists bring smiles to primary schools
For most people-journalists included-the less said about dentists the better. That’s why I was in no hurry to claim this story. News Five Kendra Griffith has more.
Steve Acuff, President, Project Smile
“We have four dentists and four dental hygienists, a total of eight. In this clinic we have seven stations, seven operatories running at all times, like now, and we’re seeing about one hundred kids a day this week.”
For fifteen years, Steve Acuff and his team of professionals with the NGO, Project Smile, have been coming to Belize to provide children with free dental care.
Steve Acuff
“We do cleanings, fillings, fluoride treatments, we save their teeth, we provide toothbrushes for the kids in school and toothpaste, and fluoride treatments every week in the school by a trained adult volunteer.”
Volunteer, Speaking To Children
“You use the brush to go up and down and it gets the fronts of your teeth, right there and right there. Then you do like this picture and brush the back side of your teeth because you got to keep the back side healthy too. The floss goes in between the teeth and gets in between.”
Steve Acuff
“The most common problems of these children is that they don’t have a dentist. Also, their diet, they haven’t learnt–like any kids–haven’t learnt yet the right food to eat, so we teach them nutrition, we teach them the proper way to brush and clean their teeth so when they grow up they’ll have all their teeth, they won’t have toothaches, they won’t have cavities, they’ll have beautiful smiles.”
The students also keep a toothbrush at school and put it to good use everyday after lunch. Since its inception in 1992, Project Smile has expanded to eight schools in the Belize and Cayo districts.
Steve Acuff
“The Stella Maris School, the Belize School for the Blind, All Saints School–these children are from All Saints School here in Belize City–St. Mary’s School here, Hattieville School, Cayo District.”
“Next week another team of dentists from North Carolina in the United States will come down and they will be seeing students next week from St. John’s School.”
And while dentistry is their main focus, the organization has done much more than repair teeth.
Steve Acuff
“We’ve also started a school lunch programme here for them, so they have a hot meal everyday. W also have built a playground and we’ve installed a computer lab.”
Kendra Griffith
“Why so actively involved?”
Steve Acuff
“Because it feels good. It feels good to help other people and to do good.”
But while Steve was feeling good, I wasn’t doing so great when they put me in my least favourite place for a quick exam.
Kay, Volunteer, Project Smile
“What you need to do, it looks like you brushing is very good, but you need to work on your flossing, because flossing is just as important as brushing.”
It’s a lesson that these kids seem to have learned well.
Kendra Griffith
“Janet, you never ‘fraid fi the dentist, true?”
Janet Alford
“No.”
Kendra Griffith
“You brush your teeth everyday?”
Janet Alford
“Yes.”
Kendra Griffith
“How much times?”
Janet Alford
“Two times a day.”
Kendra Griffith
“What did you learn today?”
Janet Alford
“I learn you’re supposed to brush your teeth four times and if you don’t brush your teeth your teeth will be rotten, and you’re supposed to eat healthy food.”
Fellow student, Christian says he brushes just as often.
Christian
”Three or four times.”
Kendra Griffith
“And you eat good too?
Christian
”Yes.”
Kendra Griffith
“Do you floss?
Christian
”Yes.”
Kendra Griffith
“So Christian has good teeth?”
Darden, Volunteer, Project Smile
“Christian has very nice teeth, and he’s a very good tooth brusher too, and he brushes before school, and he brushes before bed, and when he’s home, he brushes in the middle of the day too.”
Project Smile estimates that as of March 2006, they have treated some seven thousand, two hundred Belizean children. Kendra Griffith reporting for News Five.
The dental team leaves the country on Sunday.
