cosmetic dentistry - beauty & science

I 37 special report _ aid project in Tanzania I cosmeticdentistry 3_2012 space for our equipment. The equipment was set up early in the morning. There were many differ- ent cases. One young massage therapist even re- ceived two endodontic treatments of her upper premolars instead of the standard extractions. She was naturally most pleased not to have her teeth pulled. This alternative treatment saved her two premolars and her job working in this guest- sensitive area. We performed many extractions, periodontal treatments and dental surgery, as well as removal of defective fillings and decay. The first operation day at the Ololosokwan clinic was a clear indication of the days to follow. Every day, a massive number of Maasai arrived for dental treatment. Obed was very gentle and helpful, not only because of his support but also because of his translation skills and his com- munication skills with the Maasai. He proved his competence daily and we were all very satisfied every evening. We had obtained a translation guide for Swa- hili that we had arranged from home before our arrival. This was very useful in some situations because we soon decided to work simultaneously on two different chairs in room #4 owing to the high number of patients and the high number of treatments required by even a single patient. This was even harder work but less time-consuming than the standard one-chair treatment. In total, we treated more than 220 Maasai people at the Ololosokwan clinic over the period. We used all of the dental equipment daily: the Trans’care Max, the elexxion pico laser, the Dex- cowin mobile X-ray and the Acteon Mini LED. The majority of the treatments were extractions of decayed wisdom teeth, extractions of infected molars,removalofolddecayedrootsandinfected tissue, fillings of minor cavities, removal of tartar, some periodontal treatments, soft laser treat- ments after surgery or because of infections, some occlusal corrections if malocclusion was evident, correction of functional disorders, guided extraction of decayed primary teeth, orthodontic treatment and a great deal of medical explana- tions regarding prophylactic aspects. Some extractions were done for the Maasai for traditional reasons. This was difficult for us in the beginning, but Obed’s explanation soon led us to understood that this was 100 times better than leaving the poor patient to deal with his tooth, knowing that tradition would lead him to extract his tooth using a knife or other non-dental in- strument without anaesthetic. Every evening, we returned to Klein’s very tired but always motivated for the next day. After completing our treatment at the clinic, we again set up the mobile clinic at Klein’s for our last working day—this time in a spacious and comfortable tent that was usually used in the tented camps. Again, we prepared two separate treatment areas and did all kinds of dental treat- ments. We were able to treat all of the patients at Klein’s comprehensively. Even the 20 Maasai who had travelled by off-road vehicle to Klein’s on that day were all given complete treatment on this last day. At this point, we were forced to fin- ish because we had run out of local anaesthetic and gloves. On the last day at Klein’s, we prepared our in- struments and packed all of our equipment again for the long, tough drive through the Serengeti and for the flight back to Germany. We were 100 percent satisfied with the treat- mentsthatwehadgivenmainlytothepopulation of Ololosokwan and the staff of the &Beyond lodges.Allofourdonatedequipmentandourown equipment had been perfectly set up and fulfilled all the requirements for the treatments needed.