Dental volunteers provide free treatment for kids in British Columbia

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A group of dental volunteers has helped to bring smiles to children from underprivileged backgrounds in Surrey, British Columbia.

City Dream Centre has launched a new dental initiative, which is aimed at providing children who don’t have access to regular dental services with the care they need. A group of volunteer dentists will be involved in the new mobile program, which is already having a positive impact on local children.

Wendy Gaudet, director of City Care Dental, said that the charity is the first non-profit organisation, which is actually capable of travelling to areas where there is a genuine need for help. The first stop on the tour was Holly Elementary School, an institution located in an area where many children are from single-parent and low-income homes.

So far, 70 children have been screened by the team, and the organisers are hoping to be able to reach out to all 32 inner city schools in the coming months. Of the 70 children seen by the team of volunteers, 50 percent had never seen a dentist before. Five-year-old, Martin Mnerge was one of the many kids who were having a check-up for the first time. He arrived in Canada from Iraq just a few months ago and his mother said that he had been suffering from oral pain for a long time. Wendy Gaudet said that the dental team found extensive decay, and the clinic provided Martin with instant pain relief, as well as arranging for subsequent treatment, which will help to prevent further decay.

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