The California Aggie article from 12/04/07

Spreading smiles from Davis to Bolivia

UCD students travel to jungles to provide dental and health care

Original Article
By: THUY TRAN
Issue date: 12/4/07 Section: Campus News

A group of 17 UC Davis students will be going to the jungles of Bolivia this winter break to help thousands of people in need of dental and medical care.

The trip to Bolivia is one of the many annual events sponsored by Spreading Smiles, a nonprofit campus organization composed of UCD students dedicated to improving health care for the local and global community.

The idea for the trip came about in January when UCD senior Cedric Papa wanted to provide humanitarian aid for people who live in the jungles of Bolivia.

"Humanitarian projects are always in the mountains where it's safer," Papa said. "The jungles usually get passed over and that's where there's no access to dentists."

Papa first brought his idea to his hometown dentist in Grass Valley, Calif. to ask for financial assistance and then to UC Davis for further support, he said.

After gathering donations from fellow students and local businesses, Papa and six other students made their first trip to Bolivia in March during spring break.

Before the trip, they were trained by registered dental hygienist, Cheryl Taylor, to provide oral care as well as check for signs of dental decay.

During their seven-day visit, the students provided teeth cleaning and general hygiene lessons to about 1,000 people, Papa said.

"People knew we were coming and were already gathered around waiting for us," he said.

On a typical workday, the students saw hundreds of patients to check their teeth for cavities and scrape off plaque, he said.

"If you don't brush for months, you get plaque on your teeth," he said. "Most of these people never brushed in their lives."

The students cleaned off all the plaque and showed it to the patients to give them incentive to brush, Papa said.

"We taught them how to brush their teeth with correct brushing techniques and how to use brushes they've never held in their lives," he said.

They also informed the patients of other severe dental problems with hopes that they could eventually get more advanced help, he said.

"We couldn't pull out teeth because we weren't trained for that, but we went in and did the best thing we could for these people," Papa said.

Following the exams, patients were given toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss. They also received an article of clothing or toy, as the students had extra space in their luggage and decided to bring clothes and toys to donate as well.

They also taught lessons on hygiene that dispelled some of the myths Bolivians had about curing diseases, Papa said.

"Every Third World country has a myth and does things that end up hurting people," he said. "Many Bolivians held feces in their mouths thinking it could cure paralysis."

Papa said many people also believed in opening a wound further instead of bandaging it because they thought it needed more air.

"They had the opposite way of thinking so that sometimes small wounds end up requiring amputation," he said.

After the cleaning and hygiene instructions, people were more informed about how to treat their infections and how to avoid more pain, Papa said.

When the group returned to Davis and shared their experiences, so many students expressed interest in helping that Papa decided to organize another trip in December.

The trip will take place Dec. 17 through 23 and will be comprised of 13 pre-dental students, three pre-medical students, and one nutrition specialist. The pre-dental students will continue to clean teeth and teach about dental care.

The pre-medical students will treat wounds, check for infections and encourage lifestyle changes to improve health, said Jorge Avila, pre-medical student and translator for Spreading Smiles.

"A lot of Bolivians are not educated about the sewage systems and they throw particles in the air that could create widespread infections," Avila said.

Additionally, there will be a nutrition specialist who has been trained on what Bolivians currently eat, and what they should be eating, Papa said.

"She's improving their quality of life by how they eat," he said.

For the upcoming trip, the UCD students will have more advanced tools provided by local businesses as well as their official sponsor, Henry Schein.

Henry Schein is a major dental supplier that will be donating dental aprons, over $4,500 of materials, one million dental bibs, scrubs and thousands of toys to hand out to patients, Papa said.

Additionally, Red Cross will donate over 2,000 hygiene kits including items such as shampoo, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, shaving gels, lotion and washcloths.

The Spreading Smiles team is anticipating helping 4,000 people during this trip, Papa said.

"Last time, we woke up early every day and worked till the sun went down," said Manjeet Singh, fundraising chair for Spreading Smiles.

"The number of people we helped was really overwhelming," he said. "I didn't think we were going to be able to make such an impact, but we were willing to skip meals to help people."

Papa said this time meals will be provided for the students while they work.

The whole trip will cost each student $1,600, and they are responsible for finding their own funding.

The Spreading Smiles team is still looking for donations from the community for their trip. If you would like to donate money or find out more information about the organization, visit spreadingsmiles.org.


THUY TRAN can be reached at campus@californiaaggie.com.