Last summer, Graf Orthodontics was honored to take part in a hygiene
campaign in the Chiang Mai province of Northern Thailand. Every summer,
Provo-based HELP International sends volunteers to do development work in the
area, completing health, education, and community-building projects. Hear what
Andrea and Justin had to say about their experience there:
“Oral hygiene is a serious problem in Northern Thailand. We
had the opportunity to do school health checks with a community health clinic at some nearby schools,
and one of the things we would check the kids for was cavities. We could not believe by how extensive many of the cavities were. Some teeth had gaping
cavities that had eroded more than half of the tooth. We also saw many strange gum
diseases. Such serious problems are not as common in the United States, and we knew this was a health concern that could use some attention!
In Thailand it is common for elementary schools to have
long, outdoor sinks for students to brush their teeth and wash their hands
between classes or after lunch. We taught English at one school in particular
that did not have such a place for their students to practice good hygiene. We
started by helping the school build the sink, and then planned an activity to
educate students on the importance of brushing their teeth and washing their
hands. Our oral hygiene activities included having the students eat Oreo-like
cookies, looking in a mirror at the brown cookie spots stuck in their teeth, and then
observing the difference after 2 minutes of brushing; we also demonstrated how
effective flossing is using a rubber glove, paint, and some twine. We were
baffled when, at the beginning of the flossing activity, the students said they
recognized floss, but none of them actually knew the Thai word for it! The
students received a ticket at the end of each activity to be entered into a
raffle.
We handed out over a hundred toothbrushes, toothpastes, and floss donated by Graf Orthodontics and Crest. This was probably the highlight of the whole activity, when our interpreter told them in Thai that each one of them would receive each of those items. We opened our duffle bag and started distributing them, and the kids were all reaching over each other to get their little prize from their American friends. The children waited with patient excitement as we distributed the supplies, each giving a Thai “wai” when they received it, which is a bow with the arms raised in a prayer-like position.
We also raffled off some Graf Orthodontics t-shirts, and the winners went down a hi-five line to receive their prize, and in humble Thai tradition, the kids all showed their appreciation with yet another “wai.”
The students and staff were so appreciative that when we asked for a picture with everyone, the teachers had the entire school line up in order of height, shortest to tallest! This took some time, but we could tell that it stemmed from a deep sense of gratitude for the service we had done and the gifts they had received.
We hope we were able to leave a good impression with these
students on the importance of taking care of their teeth. Thailand is often
known as the Land of Smiles, and we hope that by our efforts, the students at
Huay Nam Yen school will be able to smile a
little brighter!"
