Canadian team brings smiles to children in Ho Chi Minh City

Recently, a group of Canadian dentists and dental hygienists from the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Dentistry visited HCMC. In collaboration with Dr. Andrew Tsang of Westcoast International Dental, they provided dental care and oral hygiene instruction to various groups.

Canadian team from the University of British Columbia (UBC)provides dental care and oral hygiene instruction to various groups. (Photo: Consulate General of Canada in Ho Chi Minh City)

Educational lectures such as Oral Cancer Care, A look at the UBC Dentistry Clinic in Vancouver, and Endodontic Diagnosis were a few of the sessions offered to university, hospital, and college groups.

The Faculty of Dentistry has a long-standing history and commitment to Vietnam. Over the past decade, faculty members, general practice residents and dental students have rotated to Ho Chi Minh City to provide patient treatment and oral health education. This is the fourth year running that a team from UBC’s Faculty of Dentistry has visited Vietnam and successfully undertaken such a remarkable outreach program.

Each trip, they provided instruction and preventative care for oral cancer patients, presented seminars and demonstrations to local students as well as doctors, conducted oral cancer screenings, and provided oral hygiene care to children and staff at orphanages.

Consul Cathy Hurdle joined the UBC team on December 26 during their outreach visit to Sunflower Home to donate gifts to the children who were learning about dental care and share her appreciation to the team for the great work they’ve been doing.

Cleft lip - palate is one of the birth defects occurring with high frequency in Vietnam as well as in Asian countries. According to statistics, every 500 babies in Vietnam are born with 1 case of cleft lip and palate./.

VNF