​From March 3rd to the 10th of this year, the Marconi Dental Group sent a team composed of team members from their Carmichael, California practice to the Dominican Republic. Led by Dr. Ashkan Alizadeh, they performed over four hundred procedures and treatments for small villages of sugar plantation workers in the vicinity of La Romana, Dominican Republic.

In Support of the Good Samaritan Hospital

This medical mission trip was first suggested to the Marconi Dental Group by the Scheduling Institute, a consulting firm that helps dental offices develop a patient-focused practice. They recommended working with World Mission Partners, a charitable organization that provides planning and logistics for doctors, dentists and construction workers to help poor communities in Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. Dr. Alizadeh signed up for a mission in January of 2017, and after more than a year of preparation, the team was scheduled to depart.

The dental team flew and drove nearly all day on the 3rd to reach the community of La Romana. After a Sunday orientation, the team was in the field on Monday, assisted by translators from the Good Samaritan Hospital. From the start, they visited bateyes, the plantation villages of sugar cane harvesters. The majority of these workers are Haitian immigrant families, living on approximately $8 per day in a state of indentured servitude. As a result, they have little money for oral hygiene and dental care. Therefore, from the team’s first arrival, every stop had many eager patients waiting in line for treatments.

The dental team worked from a donated RV fitted out as a mobile clinic. Two dental chairs provided space for complicated procedures, while a lawn chair was recruited into service to serve other people with simpler needs. Mouths were examined and difficult cases were referred to the Good Samaritan dental clinic for later in the mission trip. Many were helped immediately with cleanings, fluoride treatments, fillings where possible, and a large number of extractions to relieve toothache and remove teeth damaged or diseased beyond repair.

Educating Dominican Dental Clinicians

A new dental clinic at the hospital was paid for by donations from dentists associated with the Scheduling Institute. Design Ergonomics donated the plan for a modern clinic, which was built and opened in 2017. The Marconi Dental Group spent a day here, treating more difficult cases and helping local clinicians learn how to use the new equipment and perform complex procedures.

Assisting Dominican School Children and Others

Educational programs about oral hygiene at area elementary schools were followed by treatments with fluoride to fight cavities and medicine to fight intestinal parasites. Over a hundred students were seen at their schools, in addition to the many children visited in the bateyes. Along with medicine for youngsters, reading glasses and sunglasses were distributed to adults. In all, the Marconi Dental Group staff completed the following procedures over four days:

• 33 dental cleanings
• 66 tooth extractions
• Over 100 parasite treatments
• 240 fluoride treatments
• Distribution of 50 pairs of reading glasses and many pairs of sunglasses

In every community, the patients were extremely grateful for the help and assistance, leaving the team tired, but fulfilled for their efforts.

Lessons for Northern Californians

This visit emphasized the vital importance of brushing and flossing for maintaining dental health. Dr. Alizadeh stated that while many patients in La Romana had severe tooth decay, he sees similarly diseased teeth right here in the United States, where oral hygiene is extremely inexpensive and widely available.  His experienced conclusion is this: “Brushing and flossing your teeth daily prevents cavities. Nothing is more important for preserving your teeth.” Visiting the Carmichael office of the Marconi Dental Group is one way to cure problems with your teeth, but daily home dental care remains vital for positive health and well-being.

To learn more about the gratifying Marconi Dental Group mission trip to the Dominican Republic, contact them at 916-589-6462.