God blessed me to be a part of a trip to Nicaragua with the non-profit, TASK (Together achieving success and Kindness). Diana Gamecho organized the trip where I was able teach kids in several villages how to brush their teeth. It took Diana a great deal of planning and hard work to make this happen.
In one of the villages we went to a school with almost 400 kids that had 2 sessions of school a day. We were able to come in and teach the students how to brush their teeth correctly and take care of their gums during the morning session of school. In addition to receiving oral hygiene lessons the kids were given pillows, baseballs, mitts, soccer balls, and art supplies for the students by Diana and Task 4 U & Me. We also made valentines with the kids and gave them lots of love.
During my time in Nicaragua I encountered so much tooth decay, it was heart breaking. The children do not have the simple tools or knowledge of oral hygiene that many of us take for granted. The kids I worked with do not brush their teeth even though they eat sugar all day long. Everything they drink has sugar in it including drinks packaged in clear plastic bags that are filled with sugar water. The communities I visited don’t have safe sources of fresh water to drink so their hydration is being provided by soda and syrup water. Because of this, nearly every child I saw had decay on their permanent front teeth. With the help of a translator I taught the kids how important it was to drink water and to brush their teeth, and then showed the kids with their new toothbrushes how to brush. It was a rewarding, emotional trip, where we helped so many, laughed and loved.
I came home and discussed the trip with other Dentists. They said to make a real change, I would have to go into the communities and educate the parents. The kids in this region of Nicaragua won’t have much left of their teeth by the age of 21. This trip opened my eyes to the need for oral hygiene education around the world.
