LLU Dentistry - Dentalgram, June 2000

Student News

Mexicali 2000

by James Dawson, SD'01

Dawson/volunteer

James Dawson, SD'01 (right), treats a patient in the kitchen of a Mexicali home, as a volunteer helper holds a flashlight.

Over spring break, Michael Knoll (SD'01) and I drove down to Mexicali, Mexico, to join up with my home church from northern California. The church goes down every year to hold a medical clinic in the poorest section of the city. For the past three years, I have gone down with a fellow student from Loma Linda University. With the supervision of a local Mexican dentist, we perform extractions for three days. Because Mike Knoll spends some of his extra time in oral surgery, I asked him to go with me this year.

Dentist and patient

Michael Knoll, SD'01, gives an inflated glove to a small Mexican patient.

We left Monday afternoon and arrived that night. Tuesday through Thursday, we had clinic from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., during which time we extracted an estimated 60 teeth between the two of us. The "clinic" was the kitchen of one of the houses in the poor section, and with the help of several volunteers holding flashlights, it was adequate for our needs. The people were very grateful to be out of pain and as they left the clinic, there was someone to pray for them and give them a tract about Christianity.

After three full days of clinic we (along with the church and some locals) headed down to San Felipe for some R & R. We spent the day there and returned that evening to spend one more night before departing on the morrow. All in all, it was an excellent trip and a learning experience.

Dental Student Association officers elected for 2000 - 2001 academic year

From left: Ehrbright, Wells, Ilopogu, Bozetti, Villanueva, Le, Calkins, Bess, Moretta, and Blount. Front: Duroseau.

President: Chris Ehrbright, SD'01; Vice presidents: Carlos Moretta, SD'01 and Chris Blount, SD'02; Secretary: Heather Calkins, SD'03; Treasurer: Vu Le, SD'02; Social VP: Daniel Duroseau, SD'01; Chaplain: Robert Wells, SD'01; Public relations: Shea Bess, SD'02; LLU Senators: Lisa Bozzetti, SD'02 and Sunil Ilopogu, SD'02; LLU Senator/DH representative: Joy Villanueva, DH'01.

Patient trusts LLUSD student expertise

This story came to us from School of Dentistry patient Joe Cabral. With no prompting, he typed it out and gave it to his current student dentist, Cherisse Loo, SD'01.

In 1971, I was working for the federal government in Riverside. I was in need of some dental work, and I was referred to the Loma Linda University School of Dentistry by a friend of mine.

After the initial screening, I was assigned to a student by the name of Richard Wong [SD'71]. Richard was a very efficient young man, kind of a perfectionist, and I felt very confident in his abilities. As time went on, Richard had to do numerous extractions, a full upper denture, and also a partial lower denture. Richard was always concerned because I had a very high tolerance for pain, and there were quite a few times when he doubted my word. Then came the day when I don't think Richard wanted to pursue his desire to be a dentist any longer.

He was in his final phase of fitting the lower partial and he had me in a new-fangled chair that put me in a position where I felt like I was standing on my head. He had put the denture in my mouth and was removing it to make an adjustment. It fit tightly, so he used one finger to dislodge it. Lo and behold, it was gone!

Richard sat me up in the chair and said, "Mr. Cabral, where did it go?"

I pointed to my stomach and said, "Right about there."

Richard, of course, thought I was kidding until his assistant told him it was true. Richard kept looking in my mouth, checking my breathing, and was just beside himself. Well, needless to say, within a few minutes, I was the most popular patient around.

After it was determined that I was okay, but now was able to chew my food by mouth and by stomach, I was furnished with instructions on how to retrieve gold. I called it "panning for gold, Loma Linda style." They told me that when the need arose, to put a screen affair in the toilet bowl. When I was done, I went through the same procedure as panning for gold! After four days and quite a lot of attention from the administrative staff and of course, daily calls from Richard, I finally struck gold.

Would you believe that after all that, Richard wanted to clean the denture, and go on with the adjustments? He finally agreed, though, to making the denture a souvenir for me.

My confidence in the expertise of students at Loma Linda University School of Dentistry is so strong, that I am back again! For what? Dentures, of course!

Richard did such a great job that after 28 years, I still have the same ones, which are slightly worn. I also have a long string to tie on the next dentures, just in case! Richard, wherever you are [Sonoma, California], you were great.

Joe Cabral

Admissions officers visit Walla Walla College

While on the campus of Walla Walla College in Washington, Sylvia Davis, MA, director of admissions, and Keri Smith, SD'02, met with students who will begin their dental hygiene program at LLU this September. From left: Alisa Wollens, Christen Wells, Heather Rosaasen, Julie Hadley, Kristin Fletcher, Lupe Carrillo-Duncan, Amanda Bowker, Shoshana Taylor, Melissa Mundy, and Angela Kreuder. Five of the seven Walla Walla College students accepted to the dentistry Class of 2004 met with Sylvia Davis and Keri Smith. From left, Jeff Stonebraker, Chris Swisher, Amanda Jordan, Jon Miller, and Mike Clark. Michelle Hoffer, DH'98, helped Keri Smith, SD'02, host the dinner for all accepted students at Jacobi's in Walla Walla.