Nadia Malik Performs Dentistry, “Ballet” in Honduras

Nadia Malik DMD 13 volunteered in the city of Las Aradas, Honduras, with Medico and externship supervisor Dr. Keith Rojek from March 16 to 23, 2013. The two dentists, along with the help of dental and sterilization assistants and other volunteers, ran such a beautifully organized clinic that a medical doctor on the same mission referred to it as a ballet.

“On my last mission we had five dentists,” says Malik, “so Dr. Rojek and I had to figure out how to help as many people as we could with just two. I would numb a patient and move onto the next, then Dr. Rojek might extract that person’s teeth or do a filling, then another volunteer would come give the patient his medication and take the patient away, and another person would clean the chair and seat the next patient. It was a well-oiled machine.”

Working from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., when the sunlight ran out, the team extracted 512 teeth and provided 81 restorations, 62 cleanings, and oral health education. The dental and medical teams and other volunteers treated a combined total of 1,250 people and gave out nearly 2,000 medications.

“When there are 100 people waiting for you outside and they’re all in pain, you want to keep things moving,” Malik says.

Despite the hard word, Malik says Dr. Rojek kept it lighthearted, even doing the Harlem Shake with her at one point.

Malik remembers two particular patients with dental needs unseen in the US:

The first, a 52-year-old woman with a cleft palate, had trained herself to be able to eat and drink with her impairment. She visited the medical clinic for an unrelated issue and the doctor called the dental clinic. “She had no idea that anything could be done to help her at that point,” Malik says. They offered to make her dentures and an obturator (a device to cover the hole in the roof of her mouth to improve her quality of life.

The second, a 21-year-old man who also arrived at the medical clinic first, wore a bandana covering the side of his face and neck. Again, the doctor called in the dentists. Malik says, “There was puss and an abscess draining out the side of his neck. He hadn’t eaten anything in 10 days. He could sip a little water but he wasn’t feeling well. He had trouble swallowing. He couldn’t open his mouth.”

They suspected a life-threatening infection of the floor of the mouth called Ludwig’s angina, which can obstruct breathing if left untreated.

“We started him on intravenous fluid and antibiotics and arranged for someone to escort him to the nearest hospital a couple hours away,” Malik says. “The worst part is he was so embarrassed by the infection.”

Malik looks forward to going on more missions and one day taking a leadership role. She rattles off a list of skills she has learned on her two externships so far. “Leadership, decision making, teambuilding—the trip just makes you a better practitioner and person.”