Volunteer Toothcare Project

Background It becomes obvious nowadays that the most important aspect of gaining good oral health is by education. The school based oral health education is approved to be the best way to achieve oral hygiene knowledge of the schoolchildren. Since that the low socioeconomic status affect negatively the oral health. Providing an oral health care preventive program in developing countries like Iraq is limited and are rarely gained by those categories. Aim This paper reviewing the Toothcare Project which had been accomplished by volunteer personnel from the staff of Pediatric Dentistry Department, Ishik University-Erbil, fifth and fourth-grade dental students and Kurdistan Save Children Organization. Method The Faculty of Dentistry and the organization collaborated to provide oral health knowledge and health care for the underserved categories of the society by serving dental care for their children through their schools who have been chosen by the Organization. The project included 6 schools. Dental services were a dental examination, fluoride application, dental education by discussion and demonstration and printed oral health education information. Result 600 schoolchildren included in the project, dental students got to benefit from the volunteer work and the organization could achieve their humanitarian goal.