DT News - MEA - Students help teach good oral health in South Africa

King’s College London

Fri. 8 December 2017

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inal year dental students Karolyn John and Jack McSweeny spent three weeks teaching children about oral health in the villages surrounding Cape Town in South Africa as part of the dental elective programat King’s College London's Dental Institute.

The students helped teach oral health and hygiene on behalf of the Dental Wellness Trust, a charity that aims to promote general dental wellness to less fortunate communities around the world. They joined after-school programmes in small townships with the goal of teaching children the importance of brushing their teeth and washing their hands. The programmes are run by trained volunteers known as “Mamas” but there are never enough volunteers. Karolyn and Jack wanted to help spread messages to more children, and managed to reach out and recruit more volunteers, increasing the classes covered from 4 to 12!
‘’It was extremely challenging logistically to ensure there were enough toothbrushes for everyone. With about 500 children brushing at the same time, monitoring their technique was initially quite a task! However their abundant enthusiasm made the entire operation a thoroughly pleasant experience.” Dental student, Karolyn John

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