University of Montemorelos, LLU's Growing Younger Siblingby Clyde Roggenkamp Clyde Roggenkamp, MA'66, SD'70, MSD, associate professor of restorative dentistry, recently returned from two weeks of volunteer service in the dental clinic at the University of Montemorelos. Although there is not yet a dental school at the University of Montemorelos, for many years a cadre of LLU faculty have been volunteering their dental teaching time, usually two weeks at a time, to the 12-month general practice residency in Montemorelos, Mexico. Currently five recent graduates of Mexican dental schools are enrolled.   Centro Dental Lloyd Baum   Centro Dental Lloyd Baum (Lloyd Baum Dental Center, named for LLU's professor-emeritus of restorative dentistry) a satellite institution 1,300 miles from Loma Linda, is located in the southeast wing of the La Carlota hospital on campus. That wing of the hospital was dedicated to dentistry starting in 1984 and offers practical dental clinic experience covering a broad variety of procedures in a friendly, supervised atmosphere. Scheduled patients are seen from approximately 8:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Friday's schedule ends at around 2:00 p.m. Background ranges of experience among residents vary greatly, but they are all there to learn together. The level of expertise is generally that of U.S. dental school upperclassmen. No one should regret the time spent with the wholesome staff and respectful, eager residents at Centro Dental. Nearly any tidbit of information, helpful hint, or words of wisdom are gladly received. Imagine helping a resident cement his or her first porcelain inlay, or teaching how to polish amalgam restorations quickly and effectively. Bring your own clinic smock (there are no extras in the clinic), name tag, loupes or safety glasses, plus any favorite instruments. Visiting instructors are expected to sign off all resident's procedures they've monitored. Men generally wear a clinic smock over their shirt and tie in the clinic. The atmosphere is fairly informal and casual. This Seventh-day Adventist university campus is comprised of schools of medicine, nursing, public health, business, dental laboratory technology (started by Harry Vega in 1985), and the more recent dental residency. Services and classes are conducted in Spanish, but English-speaking people are generally present who can translate if necessary. For getting around in the community, though, knowledge of Spanish is a practical necessity. Fortunately, many of us have already learned it in school. The nearest large city is Monterrey which is a little over an hour's drive north by car. Monterrey International Airport is about a half hour further. (If you wanted to rent a car, you must get it from Monterrey, preferably at the airport. No rental cars are available in Montemorelos.) It is approximately two hours east by car to the border of Texas. Swiftly moving streams rim the border of the campus. Although rains come infrequently, this water originates from underground natural springs and irrigates the green lawns and other lush vegetation on campus. Water is drawn from local shallow wells and springs. Is the campus tap water safe for visitors? If in doubt, boil all water a minimum of 3 - 5 minutes prior to consumption. Montemorelos lays claim to growing the highest quality oranges in the world. Freshly squeezed orange juice costs less than soda pop in the local restaurants. Food is simple but nutritionally adequate. The post office (correo) is difficult to find, but is only about 100 yards south of the grocery store. It is closed Saturdays and Sundays, same as the grocery store. The speed limit on campus is only 20 km/hr, which is less than 15 mph. Bicycles seem to move faster than cars, perhaps because they can more easily circumvent the numerous speed bumps on campus roads.   The dental technology school at Universidad deMontemorelos.   The dental technology school accepts 30 students per year. In the two year program, there are a total of 60 students. It is perhaps the most modern and spacious building on campus, well equipped with modern ceramic furnaces, dental lathes, casting machines, etc. The main lecture hall is on the second floor. Marble terrazzo flooring is as durable as it is beautiful, and easy to maintain. Plenty of windows throughout the building allow lots of natural light. Our smaller dental presence at this large primarily medical university is nevertheless impressive. The personnel and buildings are quite upscale and upbeat. It is hoped that within 17 months, a small pre-doctoral dental school can be started on the University of Montemorelos campus. Planning in this regard has already begun Lodging for dental visitors is directly across the street from the Dental Technology building. These are very much like ordinary motel rooms complete with curtained shower, linens, towels, bath soap, toilet paper, closet space, and hangers. The kitchenette facility includes a full size refrigerator, double electric hot plate, toaster, microwave oven, pots and pans, cups and saucers, and silverware. There is one double bed per room and no auxiliary cot. If you expect to hand-launder small items yourself, bring your own small clothesline for drying. There is a good ceiling fan to keep air circulating effectively. All electrical systems are 120 volts and compatible with the U.S., so there is no need to bring any electrical adapters. There is no radio, TV, or wake-up alarm in these rooms.   The Seventh-day Adventist Church at Montemorelos.   Steep, irregular peaks of jagged lava over 2,000 feet high stand in a range to the north and west of Montemorelos. On clear days the scenery is spectacular. The surrounding countryside is a hybrid between western Texas and southern California Mojave Desert with occasional Joshua trees. The local campus grocery store is more like a general store. Besides fresh produce, bread, cookies, crackers, cereal, dairy products, grain flours, and vegetarian entree items, they sell underwear, shampoo, post cards, stationery, soaps, light bulbs, and insecticides. All labels are in Spanish. Due to devaluation of the peso (approximately 10 pesos per U.S. dollar), most of the prices are now remarkably low. A quart of pure yogurt is $1.13, loaf of bread $.60, box of rolled oats $.80, etc. If you prefer artificial sweeteners, however, bring your own as none are available to buy. There is a small sidewalk-style cafe with little tables and chairs set up inside the store entrance where you can buy sandwiches and drinks. Vegetarian hamburgers are called "hamburguesas" and are available both on and off campus. A very large Seventh-day Adventist church was recently built on this campus. It is immense and seats 2,086. The university student enrollment is 2,027. It is important to note that in the city of Montemorelos there is probably not one establishment that will accept any credit card whatsoever. This means you will need to have cash or travelers' checks on hand to purchase everything. (Since Monterrey is a much larger city, some businesses do accept cards there). All restaurants in Montemorelos are privately owned which means there are no franchises. (Don't look for any McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Taco Bell, or Carl's Jr!) All menus are in Spanish. Usually all that is needed at the border to show identification is your passport or birth certificate. If faculty members believe it would be worthwhile to spend a couple weeks helping out at the Centro Dental clinic, contact Dr. Lloyd Baum and complete a short term travel application form for General Conference insurance. University | Medical_Center | LLU&MC_home | Search | Employment | News_&_events | Academics | Our_mission | Admissions | Registration | Research | Alumni | Student_resources All contents copyright © 2001 Loma Linda University. All rights reserved. Revised March 1, 2001 Send comments and questions to webmaster@univ.llu.edu  URL: http://www.llu.edu