In April, the ICD Global Visionary Fund (GVF) and the Henry Schein Cares Foundation (HSC) contributed $2,000 worth of dental and medical materials to the Dentistry for Every Village Foundation, for use during their quarterly mission work in the Philippines.
The Dentistry for Every Village Foundation, in cooperation with local licensed dentists, conducts quarterly dental missions in rural villages of the Philippines, in order to provide basic and emergency dental services to indigent villagers. USA Fellow Ed de la Vega, of California, is also President of the Dentistry for Every Village Foundation and led the local team of dentists during the mission, which was held at the St. Scholastica’s Mission Hospital, Pambujan Northern Samar, Philippines, April 28-29.
Medical evaluations were given by the nurses and two physicians on site, and patients deemed “qualified for dental work” were then referred to the dentists. Using only one dental chair and one fully-equipped mobile truck, slightly more than 400 patients were provided with a combination of examinations, dental education sessions, extractions, prophylaxis, root canals, fillings, sealants and fluoride applications. At the end of the two-day mission, the dental clinic, which was built and donated by the Dentistry for Every Village Foundation, was blessed and turned over to the St. Scholastica’s Mission Hospital.
The Dentistry for Every Village Foundation, Inc., raises funds by seeking grants and donations to build dental clinics. These clinics are donated to health care institutions that have the resources to house the facility, experiences and expertise to run them efficiently, and whose management is supportive of the cause.
