Emily Hooper volunteered for two weeks in Nepal, to experience and practise dentistry in a foreign country in order to gain further clinical experience in a different working environment.
Emily explains: "Feeling well prepared and with a spirit of adventure, and not to mention rather sleep deprived, I finally reached Pokhara after 24 hours of travelling. Myself and other volunteers were met by a volunteering project coordinator at the airport and we were whisked away to meet our fellow dental colleagues. Getting from Pokhara to Dhital (our final destination) was a mini adventure in itself, as we had a jeep trip followed by a trek in which we had glorious views of the surrounding valley. After a couple of hours we reached Dhital, a mountainous village community nestled within the hills overlooking the famous Annapurna mountain range.
Our clinic was a 40 minute walk away from the Eco Village, but a jeep could be arranged should we not fancy getting soaked through from the monsoon rain before arriving at the clinic. The clinic was small, but serviceable. It had everything that you needed to carry out primary care treatments, such as simple restorations and extractions. We had a local dentist with a special interest in oral surgery as a supervisor, and by the end of our two weeks he was more of a friend than a senior! He was available at all times should any of us need assistance or advice. Young local translators were used to assist us when screening and treating the patients. We soon discovered that medical histories weren't quite as straight forward as in the UK due to the language barrier.
The volunteers primary aim of treatment was to get patients out of pain and, provided we had enough time, carry out further treatments. Typically, we would screen patients and devise their treatment plans in the morning, and then treatments were carried out in the afternoon. The most surprising thing I found was the length of time many patients had been experiencing pain, often for several years. The amount of oral surgery experience that we gained was invaluable; we were able to extract many more teeth in Nepal than we would in the same period in the UK. The restorations that were placed were mainly GIC, and occasionally amalgam. Due to the basic set up of the clinic, restorations proved more difficult than in the practice at home, but this was something that you rapidly adapted to. There were occasions when the generator would temporarily fail and this is when you were glad you had decided to pack your head torch!
The experience of volunteering in Nepal has been an amazing adventure and I definitely would do it all again! I have been able to experience dentistry first hand in a remote corner of the world, as well as giving me a huge amount of confidence in my own clinical skills. I've been lucky enough to have the opportunity to make good friendships and experience a new and fascinating culture".
Emily Hooper
Further information about Work the World's Dental Outreach projects can be found here: www.worktheworld.co.uk/dental-outreach-electives