by
User Not Found
| Jan 22, 2014
In
January
MTI
Guatemala
and
the
Hughes
Dental
Team
treated
156
individuals
as
well
as
reaching
247
community
members
with
oral
hygiene
presentations
in
Campat
and
Chicujal.
Albina
Toc
(26)
lives
in
Campat
with
her
husband
José
Xol
(30)
and
their
three
boys:
Alvaro
(8),
Ervin
(6),
and
Sergio
(1).
José
works
in
local
agriculture
and
to
add
to
their
income
Albina
embroiders
fine
details
on
huipiles,
the
traditional
blouse
worn
by
Maya
women
and
girls
in
Guatemala.
Albina
met
the
Hughes
dental
team
when
she
brought
her
son
Ervin
to
the
Campat
Community
Center
for
a
dental
check-‐up.
Upon
examination,
all
of
Ervin’s
baby
teeth
were
rotting
and
he
had
severe
tartar
buildup.
In
addition
to
offering
a
cleaning,
the
team
pulled
two
teeth
in
response
to
Ervin’s
greatest
areas
of
pain.
Noting
that
he
was
already
getting
his
adult
molars,
dental
hygienist
student
Shaireen
Lata
was
especially
concerned
that
both
Ervin
and
his
mother
understood
the
importance
of
proper
oral
hygiene
in
order
to
safeguard
his
permanent
teeth.
The
Mt.
Shasta
Community
College
student
stepped
aside
from
her
work
in
the
clinic
to
offer
Albina
specific
information
on
status
and
care
of
Ervin’s
teeth.
Seeing
that
Albina
also
had
her
one‐year
old
son
Sergio
with
her
and
that
he
had
six
teeth
already,
Lata
also
explained
the
importance
of
oral
hygiene
care
for
babies
even
when
they
are
exclusively
breastfeeding.
Albina
said
she
had
not
known
the
importance
of
caring
for
Sergio’s
incoming
baby
teeth.
“Now
because
I’ve
received
this
advice
I’m
going
to
put
it
into
practice,”
she
said.
“With
my
other
children
I
didn’t
have
the
information
and
I
didn’t
do
it,
but
with
the
last
one
I
will.”
Albina
and
her
children
also
attended
an
oral
health
presentation
offered
by
the
Hughes
team
in
Campat.
Using
a
combination
of
games
and
interactive
activities,
team
members
discussed
proper
brushing
technique
as
well
as
what
kinds
of
foods
and
sugars
are
most
harmful
to
the
teeth
and
difficult
to
remove
while
brushing.
Children
were
given
opportunity
to
practice
what
they
learned
on
colorful
stuffed
animals
before
receiving
their
own
toothbrush
and
participating
in
a
two-‐minute
group
tooth
brushing
session
with
team
volunteers
and
MTI
community
health
coordinators.
Over
the
course
of
the
week
the
Hughes
Team
saw
156
patients
in
their
clinic.
In
addition
to
fillings,
restorative
work,
and
cleanings
they
pulled
a
total
of
274
teeth
and
their
education
component
reached
247
community
members.
Outside
of
their
work
in
San
Jan
Chamelco,
team
leader
Kristi
Hughes
conducted
a
presentation
with
MTI
Community
Health
Workers
from
Chicamán
and
Cobán
discussing
the
importance
of
oral
health
and
its
role
in
MTI
Guatemala’s
four
objectives.
Story
and
photographs
by
Brittn
Grey,
Guatemala
ETV