San Pancho's community continues to amaze me with how they pull together to help raise awareness about crucial issues in our lives. I was fortunate enough to speak with such a woman who brought 10 of her dental hygiene students from British Columbia to San Pancho to offer free clinics and oral hygiene education to children and residents of San Pancho. Below is the article that was published in last week's issue of La Voz de San Pancho. Enjoy!
Raising Awareness of Dental Hygiene Care in San Pancho
May is upon us and the number of visiting tourists is starting to dwindle here in San Pancho. Despite this usual seasonal downturn in population, Roberto's Bungalows has been booked solid for the past few weeks. However, these guests most certainly do not fit the standard profile of vacationing visitors. La Voz caught up with Ada Barker who explained the reason why she and ten of her dental students are here for 30 days.
Turned onto our town by resident Glades Huizar, Ada has spearheaded an annual trip to San Pancho with very generous philanthropic intentions. Ada's group are all part of a dental hygiene program at Camosun College out of British Columbia. Their three year commitment to the program comes to a close after returning home from San Pancho when the 10 students will graduate from the program. After their time here, they will take their licensed board exam and become eligible to apply to the University of British Columbia to complete the fourth and final year of their Bachelor of Dental Science (Dental Hygiene) degree. The welcomed services they provide to San Pancho fulfill partial requirements for their graduation.
Visiting all of the schools here in town and performing oral health education, the group also does screenings for any anomalies that happen in the mouth for children. "Once we do that, we give information to the children along with their screening form of what they need to do in the future to have healthy teeth," says Ada. "If there is decay we mark it on a diagram and show it to their parents so their parents can take it to their dentist for future cleanings." Services are also offered at the San Pancho Hospital on the weekends. And all patients are examined for free. Periodontal problems like gingivitis are identified during the cleaning as well as investigations of blood pressure levels and screening for diabetes.
"We are more preventative based, and here to educate children about their teeth and removal of contributing factors of infection" says Ada. The industry as a whole is finding a direct link to oral health and body health. "We really want to increase awareness in that regard. If people have infections in their mouth it affects their body. It's about assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation and that is what we do with every client."
"The students have done an outstanding job of gathering donations from Dentist offices in Victoria to prepare for this trip. Offices have donated toothbrushes, dental floss, and fluoride among other things to provide after each cleaning" says Ada. "I'm very proud of the work they did to prepare for this trip and the way they have conducted themselves here in San Pancho. It's a pleasure for me to work with such a great team."
Ada got the idea to implement this program here in San Pancho back in 2004 when she was vacationing here. "I talked to the director at the San Pancho Hospital and had to get a memorandum of understanding that stated that the hospital and our institution will work together to provide education and awareness to local residents about dental hygiene care. Our first group of seven students was able to come in 2007." The clinic has grown ever since and even experiences return clients. "One of the most positive things we've seen is that people's oral health is improving and that is great," smiles Ada.
There exhaustive efforts and charitable visit does not consist of strictly work. "We have had a chance to explore the area. We went snorkeling around the Marietta Islands, we visited the La Penita market, and Sayulita too," says Ada. "We are so thankful to the people here for accepting what we do and receiving us so well. We are here with the best intentions and want to learn about the Mexican culture and about ourselves. I hope the people of the town continue to welcome us for many more years to come."
To read more about their experiences in San Pancho you can visit their blog.
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