Alameda Dental Team Makes Positive Impact in Philippines

From Alameda/Pleasanton Pediatric Dentistry:

The Alameda Pediatric Dentistry team recently returned from a Kids International Dental Services (KIDS) mission in rural areas of Taguig City, Philippines, performing nearly 600 treatments, including extractions and sealants, on children who wouldn’t otherwise have access to dental care. 

According to Dr. MyLinh Ngo, who took part in the mission this year as well as in 2010, the free dental care as well as preventive education she and her team provide to Taguig City kids is working.  

“The group tries to return to the same sites/neighborhoods so that we can track changes and improve the oral health of the population over time,” Dr. Ngo said. “This was my second time on this dental mission to the Philippines, and I saw a big difference in the oral health of the kids we treated.”

Dental work performed at the mission sites was done without compressors, which means there were no dental handpieces or suction. Consequently, the Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) technique, which uses hand instrumentation to remove infected, decayed dentin and resin-modified glass ionomer to restore teeth, was utilized as opposed to “drilling and filling.”  

“Between the 2010 and 2013 trips, the amount of teeth that were extracted was 13% less and the teeth we treated with ART nearly doubled,” Dr. Ngo said. “We didn’t see the same volume as in 2010, but the really great thing was, we were able to restore more teeth!”  

“We put a smile back to their lives and taught them the importance of good oral hygiene," Alameda Pediatric Dentistry assistant Alice Cahigas said.