Shooting the Breeze: Nampicuan Dental Mission, October 8 and 9, 2018

I got to know Lou and Roy Lim through Selina several years ago. Lou chairs the Medical Mission Foundation of Michigan and has been organizing medical and dental missions all over the Philippines for more than 20 years. Selina and I recently (January 2018) volunteered to lend a hand in their medical mission in Boracay and observed first hand the incredible medical assistance they provide to the local community--all free of charge with the support of volunteers and contributions from the Foundation, healthcare professionals (nurses, doctors, surgeons, dentists from the USA and the Philippines) and the local community.

I asked Lou and Roy if they would consider conducting a trial mission in Nampicuan and they generously obliged. They visited Nampicuan in April 2018, together with Dr. Renoir Amba (dentist) and his wife, April, to assess the medical / healthcare infrastructure of the LGU and to meet Mayor Badar and his wife, Tita Remy, Dra. Apuan (LGU dentist) and Ms. Eugenio (Grade School Principal)--who were equally enthusiastic about the prospect of helping the community. And the rest, as the saying goes, is history.

Based on their considerable experience in conducting medical missions in the Philippines, Lou and Dr. Renoir suggested that their first mission be limited to a dental mission, in light of the limited medical infrastructure of the LGU. Dr. Renoir with Dr. Alex Acosta , President of the Paranaque Chapter of the Philippine Dental Association (PDA), proceeded to organize their team from the Paranaque Chapter. Moreover, they invited Dra. Ferrer, President of the Nueva Ecija Chapter of the PDA, to do the same for their kapwa Nueva Ecijanos in Nampicuan. All in all, we had at least two dozen dentists contributing their valuable time and resources during the two-day dental mission in Nampicuan--not counting the dentists and staff that came along with the Dental Bus from Palayan City and the Dental Bus from Urdaneta City, which were organized by Tita Remy to enable the dental mission to perform reconstruction and oral surgery.

Advance party Roy Lim and Rey Marzan preparing the post-operative medicines
at the home of Tita Merl the night before the dental mission

Before I had the chance to meet Dra. Ferrer personally, she was already at the Nampicuan National High School at 7 am (October 8) with her team of dentists from the Nueva Ecija Chapter of the PDA conducting a lecture on oral hygiene--marking the start of the Nampicuan Dental Mission. Nothing like preventive healthcare to minimize costly dental procedures in the future.

After breakfast at Tita Emy's and the signing of the above MOA at the Office of the Mayor, the Nampicuan Dental Mission resumed at around 9:30 am. The following illustrates the schedule and activities of the dental mission:

Although this is NOT the official count, during the course of the two-day dental mission, over 400 children were given flouride treatment (only half the number we had planned due to the inability of far flung barangays to send their children to the dental mission area), over 210 tooth extractions (each tooth extraction usually involving the removal of 2 to 4 teeth), over 30 reconstructions and about 8 oral surgeries. The mission also included an oral hygiene lecture at the Nampicuan National High School, oral hygiene and tooth-brushing instructions for kids (before administering the flouride treatment) and a livelihood presentation for the women of the community entitled "May Pera sa Bula".

We tried our best to keep our dentists and volunteers energized and happy with the best country fare we could offer, which was lovingly prepared by Tita Emy Alicante. See the following menu of meals during the dental mission:

Oral hygiene demonstration to children

Flouride treatment of children included nursery, prep and grades 1 to 3--over 400 kids, which was about half of planned due to inability of far flung barangays to send their kids to the dental mission.
Every child received a brand new toothbrush to practice what they've learned on oral hygiene.

Aprobado!!!

Pressure cookers to sterilize the dental instruments

An array of dental instruments

Tooth extraction team at the Nampicuan Grade School Administration Office--many thanks to Principal Eugenio for the excellent set-up. During the 2-day dental mission, over 210 tooth extraction cases,
mostly involving the removal of 2 to 4 teeth

That wasn't so bad. Look Ma . . . hindi ako umiyak!

Dr. Alex Acosta (President of PDA Paranaque Chapter) and
Dra. Armin Martinez (President-Elecdt of PDA Paranaque Chapter)

Palayan City and Urdaneta City Dental Buses brought in for two days by Tita Remy, which enabled the dental mission to perform reconstruction (~30 cases) and oral surgery (~8 cases)

This is one of the cases (impacted tooth) that required oral surgery.

Surgical team inside one of the two dental buses: Dr. Renoir Amba, Dra. Cheryl Lim (who originally hails from Zamboanga City) and Dr. Joseph Dandan

Dispensing post-operative medicines and vitamins, Rey Marzan (Registered Nurse, Medical Mission Foundation of Michigan) and his son, Christian Marzan (also a Registered Nurse, who came all the way from Hawaii to help us out)

Jeffrey Anceta, Roy Lim, Lou Lim, Christian Marzan and Rey Marzan (Medical Mission Foundation of Michigan) at the Immaculate Conception Parish, Nampicuan
Sanctuary of the Holy Face of Jesus

From left to right (all dentists from Paranaque Chapter of PDA): Alex Acosta, Michael Bello, Cheryl Lim, Armin Martinez, Renoir Amba, Marissa Banta, Ma. Trinidad Acosta (below Marissa), Alfredo Martinez Jr., John Medina, Cecilia Santos, Joseph Dandan at the Immaculate Conception Parish, Nampicuan
Sanctuary of the Holy Face of Jesus

Inside the Immaculate Conception Parish

The Holy Face of Jesus

Lechon for dinner anyone?

Pagkatapos ng lechon

Last but not the least was a day of rest and recreation for at least some of the dentists and volunteers who were able to visit the beautiful home of Mayor Badar and Tita Remy at San Fabian. Old-school hospitality at its best and warmest, straight from the heart of Tita Remy and Mayor Badar. Needless to say, there was plenty of great food and toys to entertain (like Mayor's jet ski and atv's). All in all a very positive experience for all the stakeholders, especially our kababayans in Nampicuan who got their teeth fixed!