Have you ever wanted to do more with your qualification? In the first part of our new series on dental charities we look at three organisations that would love to hear from you. As a UK-registered dental nurse you are one of the world’s best-trained dental professionals.
You have access to training, knowledge and equipment that billions of people across the world are in daily need of.
Luckily, there are a number of organisations that specialise in helping professionals like yourself make a change where it matters.
It might not seem like much, but just a little bit of your time could make all the difference to people in some of our world’s most deprived communities.
Bridge2Aid
Billions of people across the world are left in crippling pain by lack of access to basic pain relief, and many more go without even the simplest dental attention.
Bridge2Aid works to combat this problem by providing emergency dental training for health workers in remote communities in the developing world.
Volunteer dentists and dental nurses spend around two weeks in East Africa where they train and equip health workers to help eliminate dental pain and suffering.
We think Bridge2Aid is a fantastic cause, which is why it’s one of the charities we at The Dental Nurse Network are proud to support.
Their efforts have seen emergency dental care supplied to 3.1 million people in East Africa since 2002, and we want to see this figure rise even more.
If you’re interested in volunteering with Bridge2Aid or would just like to know more about them, you can take a look at their website here.
Dental Mavericks
After a trip to a remote Moroccan fishing village in 2010, Tony and Cally Gedge were shocked by what they saw.
They found a whole community with extremely limited access to dental care and a very real need for help. Many of them were children, and most of their issues were entirely preventable.
Tony and Cally returned home inspired to make a change, and Dental Mavericks was born. Every year since then, the team has headed back to help give these communities the dental care they need.
Each expedition is made up of dentists, nurses and other dental professionals, and they always need more recruits.
They have more information on their site, including testimonials from nurses who have taken part in previous trips. You can find a link here.
Dentaid
More than 90% of the world’s population will experience dental problems in their lifetime, but in many parts of the developing world there’s simply no help available.
Dentaid set out to change that by forming partnerships with communities to provide equipment, training and volunteers.
One of their most successful innovations has been the Dentaid box – literally a portable dental surgery in a wheelie bin. It helps get supplies to where they’re needed most and eliminates the need for people to travel hundreds of miles to receive care.
Dentaid is always looking for more volunteers. With placements available in Cambodia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Malawi and Romania, it’s a fantastic opportunity to see the world and make a difference.
If you’d like to know more, you can find the Dentaid website here.
Click below for stories from other nurses who have volunteered abroad:
Images sourced from Bridge2Aid