Students bring dental clinic to Nicaragua


USC Ostrow School of Dentistry students busied themselves with taking X-rays, performing fillings and interacting with patients for nearly 15 hours a day in their mobile dentist clinic on their trip to Nicaragua, eager to keep pushing through.

Students, faculty and volunteers visited Masaya, Nicaragua for 10 days through USC’s Dental Humanitarian Outreach Program, after months of preparation and fundraising. Photo courtesy of Kativa Strickland.

Last December, students and faculty from USC’s Dental Humanitarian Outreach Program flew to Masaya, Nicaragua to provide Nicaraguans free dental care at Las Conchitas Elementary School. The dental students set up several stations for their mobile clinic, where they interacted with patients all day.

According to faculty advisor Sunny Fereshteh, the volunteers performed around 1,400 procedures during their 10-day service trip — 500 more than last year.

This year, the club took four more dental chairs with them on the trip than in years past, treating an additional 370 patients, she said.

“We did really well in increasing the amount of treatments we provided, but not decreasing the quality of care we’re giving and continuing that same passion for our patients,” said co-director Kativa Strickland, a third-year dental student.

Along with cleanings, fillings and extractions, students and faculty performed root canals this year for the first time on a trip.

“[We tried] to do more saving rather than just pulling,” Fereshteh said. “Our mission statement and our belief system is quality. It sounds obvious, but a lot of times people go to other countries and do certain treatments and have a tendency to pull and just take out teeth, but we work very hard to do things to save teeth.”

During the trip, third- and fourth-year students performed procedures like extractions under faculty guidance, while first- and second-year students primarily assisted upperclassmen with X-rays and charting, and aiding patients with oral hygiene instruction.

“Even though they’re not allowed to do the actual procedures, they’re allowed to be exposed to it and have a really good learning experience,” Strickland said.

According to co-director Shivani Keshav, oral hygiene instruction is important when treating patients to ensure that dental care continues after the end of their 10-day trip.

Throughout the visit, dental students repeatedly instructed patients on how to brush their teeth and floss daily, as well as teach the children games to develop their understanding of the importance of oral health.

“No matter what kind of treatment we do when we go there, it’s only going to actually make a difference if the patient knows how to maintain their oral health after we leave,” Keshav said.

Fereshteh said that next year, the program hopes to further develop oral hygiene instruction by sending dental students out to distribute toothbrushes and varnish fluoride. The program’s executive board prepares for the annual trip all year. Most of the preparation is focused on fundraising for the supplies and equipment needed for the trip, but the directors also work with contacts, as well as the Nicaraguan government to plan and acquire necessary approvals, Strickland said.

Although students currently pay for their own transportation for the trip, Strickland said the club will help fundraise to create a scholarship for those who cannot afford the costs.

The opportunity to work alongside dentists in a new community is beneficial, Strickland said.

“I think continuing bringing all those different specialties is great for our patients and giving a good learning experience for our students,” she said. “It’s always fun traveling to a new place with all of our colleagues and friends and getting to take what we learn in school and put it into effect.”