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Aspen Dental Volunteers Find a New Way to Give Thanks This Holiday Season

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Through a partnership with Honduras Hope, Aspen Dental volunteers spent Thanksgiving away from home providing free dental care to Hondurans in desperate need
Posted: December 11, 2015
Edited by Dentaltown staff

HARTFORD, Conn.—A group of Aspen Dental volunteers operated out of three makeshift dental “offices” in the most remote and impoverished areas of Honduras, to provide desperately needed free dental care to more than 500 Hondurans over the Thanksgiving holiday. 

From November 21-28,  dentists, hygienists and dental assistants from Aspen Dental offices across the United States took time away from family and friends to provide care in rural Plan Grande, a Tolupan Indian reservation; San Jose, a mountain community of squatters; and a vocational school in the village of Yoro.

From extractions to cleanings and fillings, volunteers took part in a mission to alleviate the most urgent dental needs and to improve the oral health of Hondurans.  

Many Hondurans came to the clinics in desperate need of care—with several walking more than three hours along dirt roads. And when they arrived, they waited patiently for hours to get themselves out of immediate, and extreme, oral pain. Translators helped determine patient’s needs and the team went to work.

“We were so honored to be able to serve so many people, and it was especially rewarding for our team of volunteers to do this over Thanksgiving. It really gave us a new perspective on what we’re thankful to have in the United States, and hopefully it gave the people of Honduras something to be thankful for as well,” said Dr. Schatzie Vincent, director, Community Giving, Aspen Dental Management, who headed the group.

According to the Pan-American Health Organization, Honduras lacks adequate access to health services—and 83 percent of Hondurans alone are without health insurance. Most have never been to a dentist. Lack of dental education and in-home care, combined with non-fluoridated water and a diet consisting of soda and sweet drinks, sugar cane and carbohydrates which turn into sugar, contributes to major dental problems at very young ages.

The mission trip was done in partnership with New Hampshire-based Honduras Hope, a non-profit working to create stronger, more resilient, and self-sufficient communities in rural northern Honduras since 2001.

“The passion and energy of the entire team was unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” said Bill Briggs, founder of Honduras Hope. “This mission is a tremendous reflection on the commitment of Aspen Dental and its people to help people get the care they need. This is the first time Honduras Hope has been able to provide dental care and we’ll be forever grateful to Aspen.”

The effort is part of Aspen Dental Management, Inc.’s (ADMI) “Overseas Outreach Program” that helps aid communities around the world in dire need of dental care. The trip was financially supported by ADMI. 
 
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