Dental students provide dental care to children in the Ukraine by Ron Abaro The dental students who provided care in Ukraine spent time making friends with their young patients. On June 8 four dental students went for a two-week mission trip to Ukraine. This mission trip was in collaboration with Eastern European Medical team, a Washington state-based not-for-profit organization. Included in the 10-member team were fourth-year dental students Jacy Nelson, Steve Streelman, Jeremy Sweet, and Ron Abaro. The first leg of the trip was a quick flight to Seattle, Washington, to meet with the rest of the team which included Jacy’s parents, Dr. and Mrs. Nelson. Then the group flew 10 hours into Amsterdam, and from there, a two-hour flight into Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. At the airport, tensions were high as Ukrainian customs have strict rules about medical supplies. But our Ukrainian contacts miraculously ushered us through with our 20 boxes of dental supplies and equipment in about an hour. After a six-hour bus ride through the lush green countryside, we arrived at Camp Signal and were greeted with smiles and a meal of fresh, warm bread. Camp Signal serves as a summer camp for children, some from an orphanage and some who are children of Chernobyl disaster families. Between 200 to 250 children from 8 to 14 years old stayed there. We were told that many feared the dentist, but we set up our clinic and hoped for the best. Fourth-year dental students (l-r) Jeremy Sweet, Ron Abaro, Jacy Nelson, and Steve Streelman provided care in Ukraine this summer. With the help of interpreters and local dental tech students,we were able to set up a functional dental office consisting of two chairs, both with portable dental units, a supply table, a sterilization table, a screening room, and patient charting. We saw only a few children the first day, and gave each of them warm smiles, gentle dentistry, a toothbrush, and a small prize for bravery. Over the next few days, word got out and patients lined up at our door. There were many patients with multiple problems, and so few of us, but we worked hard to make sure no child went untreated. We performed composite restorations, extractions, root planing, and fluoride varnishes. It wasn’t all work, though. We played almost as hard as we worked. After a day’s work we wanted to spend time with the children on a different level. Ron Abaro (left) and Jeremy Sweet provide care to a child at Camp Signal, in Ukraine. We played with the children and made friendships to help build bridges between our countries. The children love to play, and some of their favorite activities included basketball, soccer, and baseball. They also shared with us their own country’s folk games. The children enjoyed listening to music and dancing. Most nights we fell asleep to techno music and woke up to the same sound for the children’s morning aerobics. All of these activities every day made for an exhausting trip. But the smiles and new friends made it worth all the effort. In the end, we were all glad we went, and wished we could have done more. 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 February 14, 2001 Send comments and questions to webmaster@univ.llu.edu  URL: http://www.llu.edu