Dr. Vivak Shah, a dentist from Northamptonshire, along with his children Arjun, 12, and Aryan, 10, embarked on a charitable trip to Mozambique, where they treated around 200 patients daily for two weeks. Stationed in Vilanculos and traveling across the country, they encountered diverse experiences, including road trips lasting two to three hours and speedboat journeys.
Dr. Shah noted a generational gap in dental health among patients, with older individuals having better teeth due to traditional diets, while younger people showed more signs of decay. Building trust with the local community was initially challenging, but as their intentions became clear, the number of patients increased steadily. Dr. Shah trained his children to assist him as dental nurses, enabling them to participate safely in the expedition.
How do you believe these challenges can be effectively addressed to improve access to dental care for those in need?