Students spread dental health message in Senegal
Two Leuven medical students are brightening smiles in Senegal with a project that shows children how to look after their teeth and gives them the tools to do it
Give us a smile
In January, Jolien Vandoorne and Loesia Tryssesoone went to the Senegalese capital, Dakar, for a three-month internship at a hospital. During free consultations, they noticed how bad dental hygiene among local children was.
“We saw degraded teeth and abscesses, and some children had such a serious dental infection that they were sick,” Tryssesoone told her university’s newspaper, Campuskrant. “Brushing your teeth every day is a habit that the children don’t know, and for most people a dentist is too expensive.”
With help of friends and family, the two students assembled about 50 kilograms of toothpaste and 1,000 toothbrushes. They also bought antibiotics and pain killers.
This turned out to be the start of their project, Nexal Retane, Senegalese for “Give us a smile”. The pair went to villages and schools with two local dentists to show children how to brush their teeth, and gave them a toothbrush and toothpaste to use at home.
The project is supported by Flemish radio station Qmusic. Back in Flanders, the students took part in Qmusic’s contest De Plezante Premie (The Pleasant Premium), with which the station supports a variety of projects. Nexal Retane received €5,000, which will be used for a new collection campaign and more free consultations in Senegal.
Photo courtesy Nexal Retane/Facebook
