Rotary Club of Wellington’s Dental Project in Papua New Guinea

- By Gerald McGhie, International Committee Chair, Rotary Club of Wellington

The back country of the South Pacific nation Papua New Guinea (PNG) has few roads and even fewer medical facilities. Dental services are almost non-existent, so villagers have come to accept tooth pain as a constant factor in their lives.

In 2013 the Rotary Club of Wellington in New Zealand, in conjunction with former club member Jenni Lean working in the Gulf Province of PNG, decided to establish a basic dental programme for the people of the Kikori district, none of whom had any idea what a dentist was!

For Jenni, and the Chair of the club’s International Committee Gerald McGhie, the success of the project depended on two fundamental aspects – the involvement of local dental expertise and the ability to be as self-sustaining as possible.

Elsie Gahanao, a PNG trained Dental Officer, arrived in Kikori in late 2013. She quickly got to grips with the task and even before the bulk of her equipment arrived began seeing patients. Some 500 visited in the first few months but regrettably, given the state of the locals’ teeth, the main treatment involved extractions. The fact is, however, that those treated say they can at last now sleep at night. Where possible Elsie has also provided temporary and permanent conservative treatment.

Part of the project includes visiting schools, not only to provide treatment, but to conduct tutorials for students about diseases of the mouth and how to adopt simple procedures to treat them. Here she emphasised the dangers of eating the ubiquitous betel nut, a locally available product that seriously affects gums and teeth. Flip charts, tooth paste and brushes provided by Colgate Palmolive greatly assist the teaching programme. The project’s success has now been further recognised by the Kikori medical facility which has given her an expanded work space.

This year an expatriate dentist will train Elsie in the techniques of managing a practice in the hope she may be able to earn a sustainable living as a dentist in PNG. If this is successful, Jenni will promote another graduate and repeat the Kikori programme.

The Kikori project has relied heavily on the personal dynamism of Jenni who has obtained important contributions of equipment and expertise from Australian sources and also from the staff of the Dental Faculty of the University of Papua New Guinea.

The Rotary Club of Wellington remains committed to continuing their involvement in this PNG dental project in 2014.