According to the World Health Organization more than half of the world’s population today does not have access to adequate health care. There are numerous organizations that sponsor dental programs for the poor in the United States and abroad. As part of their mission many of these programs have a dental component. Dentists may wish to volunteer for various reasons: as a way of returning something for the rewards of their profession; as a way of meeting people and seeing new places, or; to support an organization that is close to the heart. Volunteerism uncovers the possibility of countless experiences within another culture while having a lifelong effect on the individual and the assisted community. Many dental volunteers return feeling that their participation was one of the highpoints of their life.

One such program sponsored by the American Dental Association in cooperation with Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO), called Dentistry Overseas, provides training and continuing education to foreign dentists, dental nurses and other auxiliaries. HVO is a private non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality and increasing the availability of health care in developing countries with the ultimate goal of having the indigenous professional community assume the role of teaching others. The focus is a training program designed to assist human resource development using appropriate technology and low cost, locally available materials.

HVO volunteers work beside local counterparts giving lectures, conducting ward rounds and demonstrating procedures and techniques in classrooms, clinics and operating rooms. But the volunteer does not need previous teaching experience. Effective communication skills and teaching principles are covered in pre-trip orientation. It has ten active divisions: anesthesia, dentistry, hand surgery, internal medicine, nurse anesthesia, nursing, oral & maxillofacial surgery, orthopedics, pediatrics, and physical therapy.

Today, like no time before, Americans should not turn away from the world. It is in our national interest to reduce the economic and health differences that promote despair and even terrorism. Jordan S. Kassalow’s Why Health Is Important to U.S. Foreign Policy highlights the fact that "poor public health increases the likelihood of political instability, disenfranchises persons with inadequate social capital, limits economic growth, and exacerbates human damage caused by social and economic dislocation." Barry Gainor, M.D., Chairman of the Board of Directors of HVO has written, "Humanitarianism is a powerful person-to-person interface that literally dispels prejudices and dismantles stereotypes. (Those) who go overseas to serve those corners of the world that have no access to modern medicine are the most important ambassadors that our nation can produce."

Each program is managed by a volunteer Program Director in North America who is a health professional with HVO experience. The program directors are responsible for screening and orienting volunteers. They have extensive information about the sites, local customs, housing arrangements, health conditions, and other pertinent information. Since Dentistry Overseas is sponsored by the ADA, dentist volunteers must be members of the ADA or Canadian Dental Association and specialists must be either board certified or eligible. Dental volunteers are now being placed in Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Haiti, India, Moldova, Peru, St. Lucia and Vietnam.

Bangladesh Dr. Stuart Sheer 2-4 weeks yes

Brazil Dr. Gilbert DeBiasi 2-6 weeks yes no children

Haiti Dr. Lawrence Schoonover 1-2 weeks yes

Moldova Dr. Stephen Mackler 1-4 weeks no NEW PROGRAM

St. Lucia Dr. Honore Woodside 1 month minimum yes

Vietnam Contact HVO 2 weeks minimum no orthodontics & dental

In addition to the dental programs, the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons sponsor, together with HVO, several programs dedicated to oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Argentina Dr. Thomas Williams 1-2 weeks yes NEW PROGRAM

Cambodia Dr. Mitchell Stark 10-14 days yes NEW PROGRAM

Chennai, Dr. Robert MacIntosh 1-2 weeks yes volunteers work in teams

Peru Dr. David Frost 1-2 weeks yes

Vietnam Dr. Wade Hill 2 week minimum no implant specialists solicited

435-673-1554

Spouses and families frequently accompany volunteers on their assignments. Often, the family members are able to volunteer. Spouses without clinical training may work as teachers, administrators, or in some other capacity depending on the site. Since certain sites are more accommodating than others, volunteers should contact staff to discuss the feasibility of their families accompanying them overseas.

Health Volunteers Overseas

Post Office Box 65157

Washington, D.C. 20035-5157

TEL: (202) 296-0928

FAX: (202) 296-8018

The HVO website is an excellent source of information. It includes links to the Department of State, the CDC, a resource bibliography, and other sources of information about specific countries. Copies of various forms are also available on the web site, as well as program descriptions. The HVO publication Guide to Volunteering Overseas outlines the goals and methods, problems and pitfalls of short-term volunteer health work in a developing country.

You may also join Health Volunteers Overseas without actually going abroad. Your membership support helps maintain existing programs, allows development of new ones, provides educational materials and other essentials to the sites, and allows increased recruitment of valuable health professionals as volunteers. As a member you receive the HVO quarterly newsletter, The Volunteer Connection. Dues for physicians and dentists are $125, and $60 for allied health professionals. Dues and donations are tax deductible.

If you would like to talk about volunteering call the HVO office at (202) 296-0928 and speak with someone in the program department: for the latest information on specific sites; for current scheduling, and; for guidance through the preparation process.

Volunteering outside of the country is not something one should do on their own. Always participate within the program of an experienced organization. Under even the best of circumstances, it takes a lot of time and planning to realize a worthwhile volunteer experience. Some other programs to consider are the following:

108-13 67^th Road

Forest Hills, New York 11375

Contact: Dr. Paul Jarmon

TEL: (718) 263-4918

Area Served: Israel

1520 East Lincoln Avenue

Anaheim, California 92805

Contact: Dr. Harris N. Done

TEL: (714) 774-6330

FAX: (714) 774-4052

Areas Served: Belize, Mexico, Southern California

GSB Building

Suite 425

One Belmont Avenue

Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania 19004

Contact: Joseph P. Welsh and Erik Peltz

TEL: (610) 617-0995

FAX: (610) 668-0930

Areas Served: Romania, Moldova and Slovakia

10 West 17^th Street

New York, New York 10011-5765

Contact: Joseph A. Latella, S.J.

TEL: (212) 242-7757

FAX: (212) 807-9161

Areas Served: Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, India, Papua New

Guinea

847 South Milledge Avenue

Athens, Georgia 30605-1331

Contact: Dr. Barry Simmons

TEL: (706) 546-1716

FAX: (706) 546-1715

Areas Served: Bhutan (Himalayas), Cameroon, Cook Islands, Lesotho,

Rwanda, and Vietnam

1951 Airport Road

Dekalb-Peachtree Airport

Atlanta, Georgia 30341

Contact: Peggy Phipps

TEL: (404) 451-3068

FAX: (404) 457-6302

Areas Served: Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America,

and India

565 West End Avenue, Suite #3G

New York, New York 10024

Contact: Lisa Gomer

TEL: (212) 877-6519

FAX: (212) 877-6519

Area Served: Rural mountain villages of Nepal

P.O. Box 101

Atlanta, Texas 75551

Contact: Dr. James Hogan

TEL: (903) 796-3824

Areas Served: Honduras, India, Israel and Korea

P.O. Box 94027

Plano, Texas 75094

TEL: (214) 437-1995

FAX: (214) 437-1114

Areas Served: Bulgaria, Burundi, China, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic,

Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras,

Iraq, Jamaica, Mexico, New Guinea, Nicaragua, Nigeria,

Philippines, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Swaziland, Ukraine,

Vietnam, Zaire, and Zimbabwe.

34605 Twelve Mile road

Farmington Hills, Michigan 48331-3293

Contact: Glen E. Haydon

TEL: (313) 489-6100

FAX: (313) 489-6102

Areas Served: Worldwide, particularly in Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia,

and Tanzania

5711 North Milwaukee Avenue

Chicago, Illinois 60646

Contact: Les Kuczynski

TEL: (312) 763-9944

FAX: (312) 763-7114

Area Served: Poland

230 Pond Street

Natick, Massachusetts 01760

Contact: Sheila Clancy

TEL: (508) 653-2417

FAX: (508) 651-1055

Area Served: Worldwide