KNYSNA NEWS - The Knysna Rotary Club is all set for its next major humanitarian project, RotaryDent 2023.
A collaboration between Rotary Knysna, Dundee Rotary Club, USA-based charity Medicine Arm-in-Arm, the Western Cape Department of Health and the Western Cape Department of Education, RotaryDent facilitates dental treatment for children in need.
As a first step learners from six primary and senior schools in Knysna have been screened for dental treatment. A team of dental practitioners from the Knysna Provincial Hospital and the Department of Health, together with a group of Knysna dentists volunteering from private practices, visited the schools to carry out this initial screening during February and March.
This exercise determined which children do need dental treatment and a first assessment was made of the extent of treatment needed. The teeth of 5 013 children were inspected, with 54% or 2 684 found to require further treatment, mainly fillings and extractions.
The hospital has set aside an area to serve as the dental treatment centre during the RotaryDent week in April. The project will treat as many of the learners as possible. The remainder will be taken over by the hospital to deal with in the coming months.
Rotary Knysna has hosted RotaryDent once before, in 2018.
Medicine Arm-in-Arm has been sending dentists to do pro-bono dental work around the world for many years.
Their first visit to Southern Africa was in 2005 when they started working together with Rotary Dundee in KZN. The volume of equipment used has increased over the years and is stored on a farm near Dundee. It will be transported to Knysna by one of the Dundee Rotarians.
Dentists and assistants from the US and Finland are volunteering their services during the RotaryDent week and will be working together with the local dental team, which is headed by Dr Dillon Manuel (principal dentist of the Knysna/Bitou District).
The rest of the local team are oral hygienist Nonstikilelo Khau, and dental assistants Filicity Holtzhauzen and Siya Sishuba.
Oral hygienist Nonstikilelo Khau assesses the teeth of a Concordia Primary School learner.
The project is a mammoth logistical exercise under the leadership of Knysna Rotarian Mick Furman that involves co-ordinating with all stakeholders on three continents.
Many Knysna Rotarians are involved, helping with administration during screening, hosting, feeding and looking after the guest volunteers, and assisting during the treatment week.
As part of the programme and with the support of a Rotary District Grant, the Knysna Rotary Club recently presented the Knysna Provincial Hospital dental team with equipment, including a mobile dental chair for their outreach unit that visits clinics and schools in outlying areas.
On receiving the equipment, Manuel said, "This is amazing equipment, and we are truly so grateful for everything you have donated to our department".
Dr Dillon Manuel tries out the new mobile dental chair presented to the Knysna Provincial Hospital by the Knysna Rotary Club.
Dr Dillon Manuel (Principal Dentist Knysna/Bitou District) and dental assistant Filicity Holtzhauzen conducting initial screening at Concordia Primary School, while Rotarian Clive Wilkinson waits to collect completed assessment forms.
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