Paul Kearney, Uganda
A voyage of discovery
Dentistry is a critical healthcare profession, but as we all know, it can become a little repetitive. In fact, dentistry may be the only profession that actually aspires to deliver its service in the most routine and unremarkable manner possible. Most dental professionals, in my experience, need to let off a little steam from time to time. I’ve often wondered whether there’s an opportunity within dentistry to embrace this spirit of adventure. One day, I was in our common room when a poster from Dentaid caught my eye. This time, I had hit gold—I was going to Uganda on a Dentaid Volunteering trip.
Dentaid in the UK
Before deploying to Uganda, I supported three UK Dentaid mobile clinics. I would strongly encourage everyone to give this a go as a first step. It’s super easy to volunteer via the Dentaid website, and the programme covers much of the UK. If you have any nagging doubts, ignore them, I have never done anything so simple and yet so rewarding in a single day.
Once you have a few UK volunteering days under your belt, the next challenge is an overseas volunteering trip. The most honest thing I can say about our trip to Uganda is that I didn’t just find it rewarding; it completely reinvigorated my relationship with dentistry. If you need a reset, go on an overseas volunteering trip—it will put everything back into vivid perspective.
Teamwork makes the dream work
In my experience, the most remarkable aspect of the Uganda trip was the speed with which the tight team dynamic developed. We had a pre-deployment meeting beforehand, but essentially, 12 strangers met at Heathrow and within days the individuals became a team, honed through a unique shared experience.
Very quickly the trip developed its own operational tempo. We had early starts, stunning drives through the beautiful African countryside to arrive at a small village church or community centre, where we set up a makeshift dental clinic.
We had three UK dentists, dental nurses, and a therapist, supported by three Ugandan dentists. The UK-trained practitioners had broader knowledge and training, but when it came to extractions, the Ugandans had far greater practical experience. As a dentist, you will learn a lot and in the case of complex extractions, your confidence and technique will be completely transformed.
Collective Mentoring
Among the many unforgettable aspects of this trip, the most rewarding was the opportunity to work with a genuine team. As dentists, we’re accustomed to working in isolation, hesitant to share our challenges, and so inevitably we default to referral when confronted by a difficult extraction. With no surgical referral options available, we had to work through the challenging cases as a team.
We tackled complex cases collectively through open communication, shared expertise, and where necessary, hands-on support. The result was a powerful individual and collective learning experience that sharpened our techniques and reinforced our confidence.
Over nine days, our small team treated 1,349 patients- a testament to the power of collaboration.
Oral hygiene and dental education are critical outcomes of the volunteering trips, especially in northern Uganda, where chewing sugar cane is endemic, and its links to tooth decay are poorly understood. Gail, our trip leader, led the oral health education giving everyone the chance to deliver sessions on dental hygiene to the eagerly awaiting crowd.
Uganda – The Pearl of Africa
The final obvious benefit of the Ugandan volunteering trip was the opportunity to see this magnificent country up close. As remarkable as the nature of Africa is, I would say the greater privilege was meeting and working with Ugandans in their everyday lives. Despite an obvious lack of material wealth, they are humblingly happy and generous people, quick to bring us into their friendship and community, and that is a privilege no money can buy.
Written by Dr Paul Kearney – Dentist – June 2024