Smile4Ghana, a registered charity organisation from the United Kingdom and its logistics partner Jonmoore International and other affiliate partners have undertaken a three-day annual dental outreach programme in the Eastern Region of Ghana.

The team were specifically in Akim Achiase and its surrounding communities such as Akim Awisa, Akim Oda, Akim Swedru, Nyakomase, Anomase, Kokobeng, Akrosu, and Osorase.

An average of 150 persons a day were seen by the dental specialists with the support of related health professionals from the UK and Ghana.

The dental outreach covered aspects of dentistry such as oral and dental health education, tooth extractions, scaling and polishing, and treatment for gum diseases.

The benefactors included schoolchildren, members of the communities, civil and public servants and members of the security services and forces.

They were given on-the-spot treatment and patients with severe and complex conditions were referred to the district hospital in Akim Oda for further treatment.

In an interview, Dr. George Brown, Founder of Knight Smile Dental Clinic, Accra told journalists that the dental outreach sought to provide quality dental care to underprivileged Ghanaians.

‘Specifically, we seek to offer primary care services whilst providing dental and health education that emphasizes more on prevention,’ he added.

Dr. Brown commended Jonmoore International for their continuous support that has contributed to the success of the dental outreach over the years, especially in the carting of their mobile dental unit and equipment as well as facilitating community entry.

Another member of the team, Dr. Chris Vondee, described the free dental screening exercise as a more fulfilling and healthier way of giving back to society whilst impacting the lives of people, especially those in the remote parts of Ghana.

He indicated: ‘This project is all about a team of like-minded dentists giving back to our country; where we come from, or we are associated with. We clearly identified the need for dental care in these remote communities and the impact that we make in the lives of these beneficiaries is what keeps us going.’

Dr. Vondee was optimistic that the dental education and basic interventions provided by the team would make a huge difference in the lives of people who otherwise do not have the means to access dental care and treatments.

On his part, Dr. Malcolm Farr expressed concern about Ghana’s alarming dentist-to-patient ratio and suggested the need for more training and innovation to grow the number of dentists in the country.

‘In the UK, we have 58,000 dentists for 70 million people compared to Ghana that has less than 600 dentists for a population of 31 million and that tells a lot’.

There is the need to train more people in dentistry. Also, the regulatory and professional bodies must deploy innovations that will make the profession more desirable and attractive,’ he recommended.

Jonmoore International is a transport and project logistics company which aspires to give back to society through its CSR mandates and partnerships.

Smile4Ghana is the initiative of three British dental specialists and their spouses.

Source: Ghana News Agency