Dental healthcare access, such like visiting the dentist periodically for cleaning is rare in most of the developing hospitals and clinics we partner with, mainly due to lack of resources. For dentistry elective students, this provides you with opportunity for significant hands on experience, under supervision. Due to limited and delayed access to care, students get to see more complicated and advanced cases that are rarely seen in a develop care setting. Check out our blogs and testimonials for the different learning experiences by our past students.

We have ample opportunities in our partner hospitals and clinics for practical work, whether you are an aspiring dentist, still in school or a professional looking to spend some meaningful time volunteering abroad, working with our partner hospitals and clinics, we will find a role for you that is commensurate with your level of experience and interests.

Just like any other of our other programs we encourage students to be proactive, be ready to assist with even small tasks, to spend time at the dental clinic so as to get most of your experience and to ask as many relevant questions.

The program is unique because it introduces various clinical skills and allows participants to observe procedures in a way that is rarely available to dental students. Shadowing dentists, participants will be introduced to skills and procedures including:

• History taking and examination
• Case management
• Outpatient clinics
• Cleaning of teeth
• Scaling
• Routine check?ups and general dental care
• Intra oral radiographs
• Minor procedures
• Permanent and temporary fillings
• Composite restorations
• Tooth extractions, incision and drainage
• Treatment of gum diseases
• Root canal treatment
• Bridges, dental veneers and crowns
• Aesthetic dentistry
• Cosmetics, and maxillofacial procedures

Those taking part in dental outreach volunteering will participate in management of dental caries and periodontal disease in primary school children during outreach programs.

In addition to hospital volunteering, participants also participate in several community projects. We also arrange dental outreach programs to rural communities. These will need to be planned in advance and at scheduled dates

We also organise for the students safari add ons at the end of the program to parks in either Kenya or Tanzania, including a hike to Mt. Kilimanjaro. See the safari link at http://electiveafrica.com/safari