For the UCLA dental students, this mission served as a practical educational experience, extending beyond the traditional classroom. It emphasized the significance of professional duty and deepened their appreciation for the knowledge and skills acquired during dental school training.
By partnering with Honduran non-profit Cadena de Amor, Dr. Spomer helps orchestrate dental clinics, sometimes seeing up to 60 schoolchildren a day for fillings, cleanings and extractions. His goal is to intervene early and reinforce good dental hygiene practices to save permanent teeth.
Dr. Paul Farmer from Partners in Health received the $1 million Berggruen ‘philosophy’ Prize, Medical Teams International provides rural dental care for free, and a Swedish nurse helps bring smiles to patients with cleft palate.
“So instead of a dollar,” Dr. Jay wrote, “I gave him my business card… ‘Let me see what I can do about getting you out of pain and replacing those missing teeth so you can function by eating and look good for a job interview. That’ll give you more benefit than my giving you a buck.'”