A team of dentists has travelled to Morocco to help its poorest children with chronic toothache; the country has no free dental care and this means that many impoverished families rely on a basic diet of honey and sweet mint tea, leading to dental problems. One of the organisers of the charity trip, Chris Branfield, said that the philosophy behind the journey was to make sure that children are no longer in pain and that the treatment is carried out humanely. He also commented that the process was ‘draining, because you wear your heart on your sleeve and you get a lot of love in the room. You’re just constantly reaffirming to the kids that you’re trying to help.’
The trip was the fourth time Chris has visited Morocco but only the first time he ventured into the remote highlands of the Rif Mountains, to the village of Merchekala. Chris was stunned by the conditions the children were in, saying ‘the kids were filthy, they had sores on their faces and their teeth were shocking.’ He went on to say that the team were performing extractions on children as young as three years old, in order to combat tooth decay and reduce toothache.
Chris and the team treated more than 260 children in the village, and 200 more in nearby El Jebah; sometimes working into the night after delays forced them to start late in the morning. Chris said that ‘Each year there are always challenges we face, last year we go stopped at customs and had our trailer with all our gear confiscated for three days.’
The Dental Mavericks, as they are known, work with charities Dentaid and Rifcom to provide their treatment and next year they are hoping to bring more equipment to administer fillings as well as remove teeth.