By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — When a patient hasn’t been to see the dentist in 10 years, the results aren’t going to be pretty.
Dr. Abe Chaukla and a team of dental professionals from Canada spent four days last month working with patients in rural Peru, where dental care is hard to come by.
Tooth decay runs rampant among much of the population, Chaukla reported, and he and the rest of the team performed hundreds of extractions and fillings during their short stay.
Wherever they went, the dentists were welcomed with gratitude, including one group that greeted the team with singing and drumming.
“They were so grateful for the work,” said Chaukla, adding that the patients included many children and seniors.
Chaukla is a Saskatoon-based dentist who sees local patients two days per week at the Davidson Dental Clinic on Washington Avenue.
This was his second trip with Kindness in Action (KIA), an Alberta-based non-profit group that works with professionals to provide dental health services to underprivileged people across the globe.
Chaukla travelled to Nicaragua in March 2014 for his first trip and said at the time that he hoped to make it a regular expedition.
This time, he was part of a team of around 20 dental professionals, mostly from Western Canada, who travelled to the Amazon Basin region between March 12 and 20.
They flew from Peru’s capital city, Lima, to the city of Iquitos, then took a three-hour boat trip down the Amazon River to their lodge. Each day the group travelled by boat to a different village to serve patients.
“It was quite a trek,” recalled Chaukla, adding that the experience was “more rustic” compared to his previous trip.
The weather was hot, and mosquitoes were a constant presence. He and the others slept under mosquito nets to prevent the spread of malaria.
Each day, they provided basic care to patients, using portable equipment. Hygienists were part of the team, performing cleanings.
Chaukla said education was also part of the service provided, teaching patients how to care for their teeth.
He said Peru is very much a developing country, with many residents burdened by poverty. Running water is scarce, which in turn complicates efforts to promote dental health.
Chaukla said the trip was hard work, but a positive experience overall for both the dental team and the patients.
This year, KIA is also organizing trips to Guatemala, Belize, Haiti, Ecuador, Ethiopia, India, Tibet, Cambodia and the Philippines.
Chaukla is now back to his regular practice in the area, dividing his time between Davidson, Outlook and Saskatoon. He works in the Davidson clinic on Wednesdays and Thursdays, also providing emergency care as needed.
He began working in Davidson in November 2013 and estimates that he has between 600 and 650 active patients here, drawing from towns as widespread as Craik, Imperial, Elbow and Hanley.
Chaukla said he’s appreciating the support from his patients in Davidson and area, calling it “the best two days of the week.”
He also said he appreciates working in the facility available here, as well as the presence of a nearby rep for a major dental supply company.
April is Oral Health Month, and Chaukla and other dentists across Canada are working to raise awareness of the importance of good oral hygiene and regular dental checkups.