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Volunteering—Foreign Dental Volunteerism
By Robin S. Berrin, DMD, MAGD
D
entistry provides us with the
abilit y to allev iate human
suffering. Dentists acquire the
training to cure oral diseases, perform
transformative cosmetic dentistry, and
improve the quality of life for their
patients. My expectations for a joyous
life have been exceeded because I am
able to use my dental skills to help
people. I have been honored to serve as
a volunteer dentist on numerous occa-
sions. I feel that I get more from these
experiences than I can give. So, you may
be wondering, “How did I get involved?
What, where, and when and why did I
do it? How was it done?”
During my extended college career I
became an active volunteer with the
American Cancer Society. After years
as a speaker, I was asked to be the
chairman of the colorectal screening
program in Long Beach, California.
Later, a friend referred me to provide
outpatient general anesthesia at the
first oral surgery practice in the U.S.
Dr. L.W. Stark hired and mentored
promising pre-dental students; paying for
their training to become certified oral
surgery assistants. Dr. Stark volunteered
his dental services to the homeless at the
Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles.
I assisted him as a volunteer once every
three months over a three year period.
This was my introduction to volunteer
dentistry.
In 1982, I was working for the National
Health Service Corps at a migrant health
clinic in Crystal City, Texas, when I was
approached to go on a dental mission in
Mexico. Greg, our pharmacist, asked if
I would like to provide free dental care
at an orphanage in the border town of
Piedras Negras. His wife, Laura, was a
Mexican dentist, and would work with
me. I accepted the offer and my wife and
12-year-old daughter agreed to volun-
teer as well. Greg and Laura obtained
portable equipment from their church
group and I asked my clinic CEO if he
would donate excess clinic supplies. To
my surprise he was very supportive.
During the mission, we used a portable
dental unit and suction unit along with
a belt-driven dental hand piece. I taught
my daughter to mix alloy pellets with
liquid mercury in a mortar and pestle.
She would then use the squeeze cloth to
remove the excess mercury. Overall, we
extracted about 90 painful chronically
abscessed teeth and provided over 40
alloy restorations. A few months later
we all returned to the same orphanage
for more procedures.
The following year we trav-
eled to Del Rio, Texas,
and crossed the border to
Ciudad Acuna, Mexico
t o prov ide dent a l
services in a church.
During procedures, the patients reclined
on the church pews. Even though we
were working at the same time as Mass,
the priest came in and held Mass along-
side our clinic.
Our final mission trip to Mexico with
Greg and Laura was memorable. We
worked at a community center in Piedras
Negras. A local dentist stopped by to
observe us, liked what we were doing, and
joined us. Greg asked him to continue
our work afterwards, he accepted, and
Greg gave him the portable equipment
and arranged for supplies to be delivered
through his church’s donations.
My next experience with foreign volun-
teerism was in the Philippines. In 2003
I attended the Asia Pacific Dental
Congress in Manilas. My wife wanted
me to lead a free dental mission in
Boblaran, the small village where she
grew up. I purchased dozens of dental
forceps, elevators, toothbrushes, tooth-
paste, floss, local anesthetic, and dispos-
able supplies. While in the Philippines,
we were invited to our friends’ church
wedding. The wife was a member of the
local dental society, but the couple met
and married while working as dentists
in Saudi Arabia. About one dozen local
and military dentists organized a dental
mission in a nearby rural area. My initial
role as observer did not last long as they
goaded me into working. “Hey, Doc!
Let’s see your technique.” I assisted with
a number of patients and demonstrated
an extraction of an abscessed root to the
cheers of the group.
I intended to work for one day in
Boblaran; it quickly expanded
into a four-day mission. I ran out
of local anesthesia and took an
hour-long boat trip twice to
restock our supply. I saw 142
patients and extracted almost
500 teeth! There was no