Glasgow Dentists Bring Smiles to Children in Palestine
A group of dentists from Glasgow brought smiles to children’s faces in Palestine as part of a charity programme run by the Dental Aid Network.
The group of dentists has just returned from the West Bank, where they treated around 200 children, including 30 orphans. The dentists, Tariq Bashir, Asid Khan, Khuram Shafiq and Ferhan Ahmed, formed the Dental Aid Network with the aim of providing impoverished children all over the world with dental treatment.
In some developing countries, dental issues, which are treated very simply and quickly in the UK, can be extremely serious and even fatal. The goal is to prevent children from suffering and to try and educate them to reduce their risk of them developing dental diseases in the future.
Asid said that the dentists worked in extremely poor conditions and the vast majority of the children had never seen a dentist before; some had suffered with toothache for years and treatment provided them with relief.
The group was originally given 150 patients to treat, but ended up providing treatment for 200 children, as they didn’t want anyone to miss out. Of all the 200 children they examined, only 1 did not require any treatment.
Tariq, who has been named British Dental Association student of the year in the past, said that the task was very difficult, but also very rewarding. One patient, Mayar, was very nervous and worried and she wouldn’t stop crying; she was in pain and when Tariq repaired her decayed tooth, she stopped crying and put her thumbs up.
The group fundraised to pay for equipment and supplies and paid their own travel and accommodation costs. They are now thinking about future trips.
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