Dental Hygienists
Role of Volunteer Dental Hygienists
Serving in IMR’s global dental relief clinics gives Dental Hygienists an incredible opportunity to give back while providing much-needed dental care improves the overall health of the communities IMR serves.
The dental clinic is a key component for the success of IMR’s mission trips, as most of our patients have never seen a dentist before and have little or no access to seeing them in the future. IMR is featured within the American Dental Association’s database of volunteer organizations. We are the largest dental mission provider and serve the most countries of all those organizations featured.
Goals of IMR Dental Clinics
Dental clinics focus on two key objectives, short-term and long-term dental health.
Greatest Needs
The first goal is meeting the greatest needs of our patients through urgent and emergency care. This is done through performing examinations and consultations, extractions, treating abscesses, and referring patients for suspected oral cancers. Initially, we want to relieve oral pain and infection from untreated dental caries.
Sustainable Oral Health
Secondly, and of equal importance, is long-term sustainability or good oral health and hygiene practices. This is conducted through sealants, cleanings, fluoride treatments, and oral hygiene instruction. Our goal is far greater than simply treating the acute dental need today; our goal is to save teeth in the future by providing oral hygiene education and toothbrushes to our patients as well as educating local dental students wherever possible.
Sustainability is a key component of our dental care and conducting community outreach to define the breakdown in dental health is important. IMR strives to have our dental clinics educate patients on the root cause of disease in caries, be it poor nutrition, access to refined sugars, hydrating with soda, lack of fluoride, poor hygiene habits, etc.
The Role of Hygienists in Clinic
In limited resource settings, dental hygienists play a critical role in preventing oral diseases, promoting oral health, and ensuring that even underserved populations receive necessary dental care and education to maintain good oral hygiene. Their ability to adapt to the available resources and provide essential services is essential in addressing oral health disparities. Join a team today!
International Medical Relief is featured within the American Dental Association’s database of volunteer organizations. IMR is the largest dental mission provider and serves the most countries of all those organizations featured. We care for both pediatric and adult patients on every dental mission. IMR also provides global dental malpractice insurance for all of our volunteers.
Join Us in Making a Difference.
You can join an IMR medical mission team or donate today!
