Day 4 At Colt Orphanage.

Today was a productive day for KIDS. We set up base at the Cambodian Organization for Living and Training, our old friends in Phnom Penh.

Frieda is our contact there; a wonderful Dutch woman who treats the children as if they were her own. And though they have heart wrenching histories she's not easy on them. Her parenting skills are designed to help them succeed in a society where much is stacked against them. And coddling them will only hold them back. 

Freida and her husband, exposes them to music, martial arts, sports, art and any other pursuit that will better their lives. And she see's that they are kept busy working hard to achieve their goals and potential. 

Because of our history with this group, her students have few dental needs. New children who move into the orphanage will have the greatest need, but her orphanage has been full for the past three years. Next year 3 of her students will move out into a subsidized housing where they will continue to study, some taking college courses while others begin non-degree jobs. And spots will open for three more orphans to move in. 

But  today we also saw students from other schools, as well as neighborhood kids, who may not be going to school at all. Some of the children were HIV positive, or the children of parents who have died of AIDS. Just as we do with all our patients, we reviewed our protocols this morning on proper capping of needles, disposal of waste and, of course, our sterilization technique. 

By the end of the day, the temperature was well into the nineties. We were satisfied having treated nearly 200 patients. Again some 80 or so baby teeth were extracted, 20 or so permanent teeth were taken out and nearly 80 patients received fluoride varnish. We are finding the varnish incredibly valuable in protecting the chewing surface of the lower first molars from the inevitable decay that these children will develop.

 

Tomorrow we will visit one of the many areas of town where families have been relocated. I have mentioned them in past years. When the government decides that property is valuable, the residents are moved away for any matter of reason. These people were told that they have AIDS and needed to be quarantined.....they don't have AIDS. An extremely expensive office complex sits where they used to live. 

We anticipate seeing about 300 children. I just met with the leader of their group. She would like to call every parent when an extraction is required. Of course the parents sign a permission slip ahead of time and having to reach each parent would compromise our ability to get the necessary work done. I am hoping that we have reached a compromise. She will be my translator and I will show her how we decide which teeth need to be removed. It will be a crash course in dental infection, tooth eruption timing, and space maintenance. I hope I can win her over. No matter what, it will be interesting.