AfS team dentist Patrick O’Flaherty DDS, dental assistant Karen Jablonksi, and registered dental hygienist Mary Jensen, make up the AfS Aswan Dental Team. They bring all of their own dental supplies from home. Working out of two rooms at the hospital’s dental clinic, they provide complete dental treatment. The local staff has worked very hard to let AfS use the dental clinic as much as possible. Everyone is working together to provide as much treatment as we can to the children prior to their surgery.

Dental care is part of cleft lip/palate care. Teeth may need to be restored or extracted. Dental cleanings, fluoride treatments, dental sealants, are provided as well as family oral health education. Many times, the child is receiving their first toothbrush! The dental team provides well over twenty thousand dollars worth of dental work on each mission trip. Most rewarding on this trip was the team’s visit to a rural grade school and providing dental health education to a room full of excited students. Education is key for moving forward with better dental health.