LLU School of Dentistry - Dentalgram, August 2000

You'd better Belize it! Fiji coup changes plans of dental missionaries
by Clinton Park, SD'01

Riding in the back of the transport vehicle were: Darlene Nick, Joy Villanueva, Lan Nguyen, Grace Yong, Clinton Park, Nancy Villanueva, Mueni Mutinga. Not pictured: Eric Park, Dr. Doyle Nick, Dr. Fred Kasischke. Clinton Park shows an extracted tooth, with Grace Yong helping him out.

This summer break (June 11 - 25), School of Dentistry students and faculty took some time from our busy schedules to participate in a mission trip to Belize, Central America. Those who participated were Mueni Mutinga, SD'01, Lan Nguyen, SD'01, Eric Park, SD'01, Clinton Park, SD'01, Joy Villanueva, DH'01, and Nancy Villanueva, SD'01, Grace Yong, SD'01, Dr. Fred Kasischke, Dr. Doyle Nick, and his daughter, Darlene Nick.

Originally, we had planned the mission trip to Fiji. Unfortunately, a political coup took place in Fiji the week we were supposed to leave, forcing us to cancel our mission trip there. We were dressed and packed with nowhere to go. Fortunately, thanks to the Alumni Association and through prayer and frantic searching for other options, a call came from Belize that they needed a few good dentists. So in three days we planned a whole new trip and off we went.

Belize is in Central America, directly south of Mexico. On its eastern border lies the Caribbean Sea and Belize shares its western border with Guatemala. Well, enough about geography.

We arrived in Belize City with our dental explorers and mirrors in hand, ready to work. The temperature was "unbelizeable." It was 95+ degrees with humidity factor of 95%. Yet we quickly adjusted because that's what LLU students and faculty are trained to do. We met with the administrator of the hospital where we were to stay and work, and headed to the mountains.

Dr. Doyle Nick treats a patient in the Belize clinic, as Clinton Park and Lan Nguyen assist. Dr. Nick tried to take a nap in the dental chair, but the group had other plans for his down time.

The hospital is called La Loma Luz, (kind of like Loma Linda) and is a Seventh-day Adventist hospital, the second largest hospital in Belize. We stayed in rooms above the hospital and ate at the cafeteria there. The food was tasty. We had beans, bread, tortillas, mangos, papayas, coconuts, and pineapples. The fruits were enormous and delicious.

Giovanni, La Loma Luz Hospital's assistant administrator. He showed the dental group around Belize.

On our first day there, we reopened the dental department in the hospital and cleaned up the place. It was obvious it had been unused for quite awhile. We tried to repair the two dental chair units but they were too far gone. Fortunately, we'd brought our own portable units and compressor.

We met with the government dentist who sent us out to a school in a remote area where a Catholic school was located. These children had not received dental or medical services before. We treated approximately 130 children and 20 adult patients and performed over 250 dental procedures. Most of the procedures involved restorative work such as amalgam and composite restorations, many cleanings, and a few extractions. We were glad to do more restorative work instead of just extractions because of the long term benefits for the patients. The happy smiles and words of thanks said it all.

Dr. Nick holds a flashlight and supervises Clinton Park as he extracts a tooth. Mueni Mutinga, Joy Villanueva, and Nancy Villanueva treat a young patient.

"Belize" me, it was well worth the trip. We also took some time out for some R&R. Belize is a beautiful country filled with lush forests, colorful birds, fish, animals, and tasty fruits. We canoed down the Mopan river, snorkeled and dove in the barrier reef, and swam under beautiful waterfalls. We want to thank the School of Dentistry and especially the Alumni Association for their generous support in our mission to Belize.

All in all, the trip went beyond our expectations and we hope we have become better Christian doctors and human beings because of this experience.

Mayan temple ruins in Guatemala.

Top view of Mayan temple steps. Grace Yong and Eric Park are climbing up. More Guatemalan Mayan temple ruins