Dentraide

Dedicated to Improving Oral Health in Impoverished Communities

The students in dentistry at the Université de Montréal who set up the Dentraide association in May 2005 did so in a desire to become actively involved in international cooperation in a way that ensures that their contribution will have a significant impact on impoverished communities. With its some forty student members, Dentraide can now confirm that its actions definitely have bite.

“We were profoundly touched by their initiative and commitment and as a public health teacher I was impressed by the social concerns of these students. Their openness to the world and their leadership have been a strong rallying force for our faculty,” Anne Charbonneau, associate professor at the Université de Montréal’s department of oral health, spontaneously declared.

Dentraide launched its activities in the summer of 2006 and, in collaboration with the Dentistes Sans Frontières organization, spent from two to four weeks in two cities in Armenia, the Philippines and Mexico. In the summer of 2007, the student group, again with the help of Dentistes Sans Frontières as well as East Meets West, visited Vietnam, Guatemala, Ecuador, Bolivia and the Congo.

“We chose these countries because these are the places with the most blatant and urgent needs in terms of oral health prevention in the world. We even met people who had never seen a toothbrush before and children who refused to let us put a toothbrush in their mouth. They were too scared!” confided Marie-Josée East, a spokesperson for Dentraide.

During their stay, the students offered basic dental treatment and those who had the appropriate level of skills even went so far as to perform certain operations such as ablation of caries, fillings and tooth extractions.

“The impact of our interventions on each community was instantaneous,” added Manh Khoa Tran, another spokesperson. “Though the treatment we provided was not elective, by simply taking preventive action and offering basic care, we attained our objective of heightening awareness among these populations of the importance of oral health.”

Dentraide, the only international aid organization in Canada made up of students in dentistry, gives its members the opportunity to participate in a unique experience where they can put their skills, desire to succeed and dedication towards making a significant difference in a context where mutual aid, the community and openness to the world are vital. The participating students thus had the chance to demonstrate their leadership skills, help improve the health of a targeted population and develop an international cultural vision.

“Dentraide’s humanitarian action is in line with the ideas that the Université de Montréal wishes to convey, ideas related to internationalism, greater awareness, respect and compassion,” concluded Marie-Josée East.

Dentraide