Articulator November 2013 Page 5

GLOBAL SMILE SAVERS MISSION TO BEREZHOK AND LIMNA, UKRAINE

Brandon Berman, DDS

Howard Graduate, GPR Resident in Philadelphia

In July of 2012, a group of 4

year Howard University dental students and one clinical instructor

traveled over 5000 miles with 22 bags and suitcases of supplies and equipment. Their mission was
to deliver dental care to the poor and underserved villagers of the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine,
just outside of Poland.

In a part of the world that quality dental care simply does not exist, the team
worked tirelessly to serve the community. The team directly provided patient
care for over 55 hours during the course of 4 ½ days. With the limited use of
portable dental units and makeshift generators, the team was able to provide
over 135 patients with restorative treatment, endodontics, periodontics, pre-
ventative care and oral surgery. The patient population ranged from children
to elderly individuals, many of whom had severe, and potentially life threat-
ening infections.

In addition to providing patient direct care, the team also spent copious
amounts of time educating the patients about the importance of prevention
and proper dental hygiene. Despite the language barrier, they were able to
demonstrate correct tooth brushing and flossing technique. Particular em-
phasis was placed on educating the parents of the children seen, to facilitate
lifelong healthy hygiene habits.

"As dental professionals, we have the moral and ethical obligation to provide
our unique services to those in need, whether domestically or internationally.
It is important to remember how privileged we are, and to never lose our
sense of compassion, despite all of the pressures in today's society. Partici-
pating in Dental mission trips is a wonderful opportunity to provide care to
those who need it most, while also experiencing a true altruistic joy that we,
as dental professionals feel, by directly promoting and facilitating oral health."

Yasufumi Yamazaki (Alpha Nu Treasurer)

Hello, my name is Yasufumi Yamazaki and I was in charge of organizing annual Alpha Omega Loupes and Tech Fair at University of
Detroit Mercy Dental School. The event was a fundraiser for the fraternity and our chapter asked for donation in exchange for
attending the event from manufactures. All the proceeds gained from this event will go towards humanitarian mission trip in Do-
minican Republic that we are going to do again. Last year, the event helped us to cover some of the cost for the mission trip in
Dominican Republic.

The fair was school-wide event and our chapter was able to create a time for students and faculty to interact with different manu-
factures. Moreover, the event allowed people to try loupes and other dental products and purchase the item at their conven-
ience. This year, there were new vendors that came to the event and we would like to continue the affiliation with manufactures.
Alpha nu chapter is looking forward to another successful fair next year.

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December 2013 Volume 1 Issue 2 Alpha Omega Articulator http://www.ao.org/ao-students