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W&H supports dental aid project in Africa

Austrian dentists and dental students from the Medical University of Graz provide voluntary dental care at the medical centre in Uchira. (Photo courtesy of W&H)
Dental Tribune International

Dental Tribune International

Wed. 3 July 2013

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UCHIRA, Tanzania: As part of its social responsibility programme, which has supported projects in various developing regions, international manufacturer of dental instruments and devices W&H has recently supported a dental centre in Tanzania by donating prophylactic instruments for calculus removal.

The equipment was donated to Zähne für Afrika, a dental aid project run by Austrian dentists in collaboration with dental students from the Medical University of Graz aimed at establishing a medical centre for those in need in Uchira, a village inhabited by about 5,000 people and located 28 km from Moshi, the second-largest city in the Kilimanjaro region.

As periodontitis is a major problem in the region, the new prophylactic instruments donated by W&H make a valuable contribution to improving the dental health of the local population, the project’s officials stated. Since receiving the donation of two Corsair II 755 sonic scalers, the volunteer dentists have been able to provide targeted and effective treatment.

According to the dentists, the health care system is highly underdeveloped in Tanzania, like in many other parts of Africa. Hospitals, which are usually overcrowded, often lack well-trained medical personnel. When the project was launched in 2008, proper dental care, such as oral surgery, dental fillings and endodontic treatment, was available through the volunteers only. In addition, the centre has a dental laboratory, allowing it to offer prosthetic treatment too. Moreover, the project helped train a young Tanzanian dentist in prosthodontics. He completed the training in Austria in September 2011.

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