Smiles made whole again

LLU faculty and alumni provide care in remote Russian far east known for its slave labor camps

Two members of the dental team, Dr. Lewis and Ms. Heisler, work together to alleviate a patient's pain. The two were married on June 25, 2000.

Loma Linda University and Medical Center have helped make a dream come true for Chinese philanthropist Sir Run Run Shaw.

The area surrounding Magadan and Palatka in the Russian far east is known for its rugged beauty, severe climate conditions, rich mineral deposits, and tragic history. It is the heart of the gulag archipelago and Stalinist era slave labor camps. At its height, the gulag imprisoned millions of people; many died. Until recently, even Russian citizens could not go there without special permission.

More than 300,000 people live in the remote area, located about 5,000 miles east of Moscow and 2,000 miles west of Anchorage, Alaska. The single road into the area--the Kolyma highway--is passable only by rugged trucks. The nearest railroad is about 500 miles to the south.

In the fall of 1999, several LLU faculty and alumni journeyed to this remote area on a mission to provide dental care for the children of the area.

The 50-foot-tall Mask of Tears monument on the hillside overlooking Magadan commemorates slave laborers who died under Stalin's gulag system.

Loma Linda University and Medical Center have helped make a dream come true for Chinese philanthropist Sir Run Run Shaw.

Participants in the two-week mission were William Heisler, DDS, professor of restorative dentistry; J. Milford Anholm, DDS, MS, professor of orthodontics; Nathan Lewis, DDS, of Elko (Nevada) Dental Associates, a 1980 alumnus of the School of Dentistry; Susan Heisler, MPH, assistant professor of health information management; and two community dentists, Lilliana Castro, DDS; and Joe Herzog, DDS. The team was accompanied by two Rotarians, Alex Cripchuk of Corona and Richard Smith of Temecula.

"Children in this area have extreme health problems, mostly due to neglect by alcoholic parents and malnutrition," says Dr. Heisler.

The team, sponsored by a grant from Rotary International, set up a demonstration clinic in a boarding school of about 300 children. In a defunct dental unit with a working chair, the team went to work.

On a hillside overlooking Palatka, the team gathers for a panoramic photo. Shown, front row from left, are Ms. Heisler; a local Rotarian; Dr. Castro; and Mr. Smith. Shown in the back row, from left, are Dr. Heisler; Igor Kurash, a local Rotarian; Ludmilla Odymets, president of the Palatka Rotary Club; Dr. Herzog; a local Rotarian; Dr. Lewis; and Dr. Anholm. Not shown is Mr. Cripchuk.

Loma Linda University and Medical Center have helped make a dream come true for Chinese philanthropist Sir Run Run Shaw.

"We brought three portable units and the air compressors to operate them with us," recalls Dr. Heisler, "and donated them to the area when we left."

The team saw a total of 150 patients in Magadan, and performed about 900 dental procedures, including dental sealants, amalgam fillings, root canal treatments, crowns, and tooth extractions. In two working days at Palatka (a town of 10,000 individuals 50 miles north on the Kolyma highway), the team treated about 50 patients.

Drs. Anholm, Heisler, and Lewis gave lectures on dental procedures focused on children to the students and faculty members of Magadan Regional Medical College. Ms. Heisler held multiple participation sessions with students and staff.

The team was told "only poor people live in houses,² as the one shown above.

Loma Linda University and Medical Center have helped make a dream come true for Chinese philanthropist Sir Run Run Shaw.

"My role was to teach health education classes on smoking cessation and stress management," points out Ms. Heisler. "As it turned out, the students and faculty were most interested in communication, teamwork, and mental health issues."

Ms. Heisler had no idea what to expect from the Russian people. "As a child, I always heard horror stories about Siberia and thought it must be the most desolate place in the world," she says. "It has turned out to be a valuable growth experience for me, and I continue to have more insight into their culture.

The team treated Tapolyek kindergarten children, shown here patiently waiting.

Loma Linda University and Medical Center have helped make a dream come true for Chinese philanthropist Sir Run Run Shaw.

"At first, it was very difficult to read the students," she continues. "The Russians have been taught to be stoic; no response to lecture material was allowed. I thought my information must have been boring or irrelevant to them, but later learned through the administrator that they actually found it very interesting!"

Helping to overcome the language barrier were Dr. Herzog and Mr. Cripchuk, who are fluent in Russian, and two Magadan college students, who served as translators for the other team members.

Most individuals in Palatka live in high-rise apartments, as shown above.

Loma Linda University and Medical Center have helped make a dream come true for Chinese philanthropist Sir Run Run Shaw.

"The Magadan area has a good dental infrastructure for at least a basic level of care," declares Dr. Heisler. "They provide almost no dental hygiene care, however. I was told that dental hygiene is just now being included in the curriculum for a level of dentist they call 'tooth doctor.' This is a three-year program to do the simple mechanical procedures, but they don't have the medical background training that regular stomatologists would have.

"In Palatka, dental practitioners work without x-rays unless it's a dire necessity," he continues. "If x-rays are required, patients are sent to the local hospital for the procedure."

The local Seventh-day Adventist church in Magadan was established in the early 1990s with the help of several American Adventist groups. "It's the most prominent church in town," says Dr. Heisler. "It's on a beautiful site and seats about 300 people. "We donated a complete Russian-language smoking-cessation program, called 'Breathe Free,' to the church pastor, who sponsors health lectures by local physicians on Wednesday evenings."

Dr. Heisler is applying for a grant for a team to return to Magadan later this year. "This time, we would like to focus more on clinical demonstrations to local dentists in their own clinics on such topics as oral hygiene and endodontic and periodontal procedures,² he emphasizes. In order to be more conversant with the Russian people on the next mission, Dr. Heisler spends about an hour a day learning the language.

Summarizing his experiences, Dr. Heisler says, "I have asked myself, 'Is it worth the hours and effort to collect and ship 660 pounds of dental equipment and supplies valued at approximately $25,000, arrange for grants, invitations, visas, customs clearance, and transportation and logistics for a team of eight for two weeks to this end-of-the-world, seemingly God- forsaken place?'

"The answer is in the greeting statement of our Rotarian hosts: 'Others have said they would come, but you are the first to actually arrive!'

"The reward is in the relief of children no longer kept awake with toothaches, smiles made whole again with restored front teeth, and the tears of gratitude from parents, grandparents, teachers, and guardians whose children we have treated. One English-speaking adult whose front teeth were restored, said, 'I look like James Bond!'

"We have formed deep and lasting friendships with our Rotarian and dental colleagues, some of whom have now visited us here in Loma Linda, stayed with us in our homes, and worshipped with us in our churches.

Loma Linda University and Medical Center have helped make a dream come true for Chinese philanthropist Sir Run Run Shaw.

"I am reminded of Matthew 25:40 (niv): 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.'

"I want to give special recognition and thanks to my wife, Barbara, who supported me in this endeavor; Ms. Barbara Bostwick, School of Dentistry director of development, who polished the grant and did much of the correspondence; and Monica Colby of University Travel, who secured visas and arranged for greatly reduced shipping charges from Magadan Airlines," Dr. Heisler concludes.

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