Dr. Johnson Update

6/19-6/24/11

We worked all week from 8AM to 6PM.  We saw heavy decay and significant gum and bone disease.  On those teeth that were salvageable we placed restorations.  Many were not salvageable and needed to be extracted due to abscesses.  We saw and treated ages 2- 85 to my knowledge. 

Three patients stand out in my mind that I would like to share with you.  First was the young mother that walked all night and arrived after lunch with her 5 year old, 2-3 year old in tow with a  nursing baby in her arms.  She had never owned a toothbrush and her teeth were in poor condition.  All Dr. McArthur could do was attempt to save her teeth with some restorations.  One of our fine dental hygienists removed the massive tartar  deposits on her teeth with the ultrasonic scaler.  She left as soon as she could for the long walk back.

There was also a woman that rode her horse in starting early in the morning with one of her children riding with her.  I removed two teeth that were too badly decayed to save, following her hygiene appointment.

Last was the 14 year old boy that rode the same donkey, or burro, with his mother for 14 hours.  Sarah and I removed a badly decayed, infected tooth that had been erupted in his mouth only 1-2 years.  It was a very difficult extraction with bone removal and sutures, but he was a real trooper.  They had no money for food, so we fed him and his mother and they stayed overnight with friends.  Bright and early the next morning, he returned.  He hadn’t felt good so had not eaten.  We gave him a bowl of oatmeal, which he wolfed down.  Then, Sarah and I placed 8 silver restorations in his molars and premolars hoping to prevent further tooth loss.  We gave him and his mother toothbrushes and toothpaste.  Then they rode home.

I was angry extracting this last tooth because decay is such a preventable disease.  There is very poor knowledge about simple oral care.  Our dental hygienists, four of them, did their best to educate their patients to the best of their ability with the help of translators.  The favorite drink is “Inca Cola” which is a carbonated, yellow, very sweet, bubble gum flavored cola.  It is cheaper than bottled water.   I saw numerous kids buying this over the counter in the small corner stores or “tiendas”.

Our dental team of 2 doctors (with an occasional third local doctor) and four hygienists, along with about 10 auxiliary team, treated 455 patients this week and performed 1240 procedures in total.  The medical team that worked upstairs, from the Chico, CA area treated, about 1200 patients.  We all are very happy with our results and especially pleased that the number of extractions is down compared to the three previous years that this team has been going to Cascas.  We believe that we are making progress in the battle against oral disease!