Chiswick Dentist Appeals for Support for Sierra Leone Trip
A Chiswick dentist is appealing for help and support from patients and local people in preparation for her trip to Sierra Leone in March.
Raffaella Gabassi, from the White Dental and Cosmetic Rooms on Chiswick High Road, has asked local people to donate any unwanted clothes and toys to give to people living in some of the world’s poorest communities in Sierra Leone. She has also appealed for people to buy toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Statistics show that there is a severe shortage of dentists in the African country. In comparison to the UK, where there is 1 NHS dentist per 2,400 people, the figures in Sierra Leone are alarming, with just 1 dentist per 1.1 million people. Most children are not aware of dental hygiene and many do not have a toothbrush or access to clean running water.
Raffaella will spend two weeks helping out at a hospital in Freetown, visiting schools and spending time with women to try and educate them about the importance of oral hygiene and teach them how to brush their teeth.
This will be the third trip Raffaella has made overseas, following two successful trips to Vietnam. She said that she is looking for anything that would make a child smile or their life easier and added that she would be very grateful for any donations from patients and local people.
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