Tufts Dental Nicaragua Service Trip

This crowdfunding project has ended, but you can still support Dental Global Health Nicaragua. Thank you for your continued support!

In April 2018, our Global Service Learning team will travel to Jinotega, Nicaragua to provide free dental care in the community of Los Robles. We have partnered with Comunidad Connect, a local non-profit that operates a community health clinic in Los Robles, and for the duration of spring break, we will treat hundreds of patients under the supervision of our faculty advisor Dr. David Paul and Comunidad Connect's resident dentist Dr. Reeder Lanzas. 

We are a team of nine Tufts Dental students (two 4th years, two 3rd years, five 2nd years), and we're absolutely thrilled for this opportunity to volunteer and serve in Nicaragua. In addition to providing much-needed dental care, we will participate in educational outreach for oral health promotion; learn about Nicaragua's culture and history; engage the local community; and gain firsthand experience in global service learning. We also look forward to working alongside Dr. Paul, who has led more than 20 dental teams to underserved communities around the world.

Comunidad Connect launched their Dental Initiative to address the poor and neglected state of oral health in Jinotega. For example, the diagnostic census they conducted in 2017 found that 100% of participants had compromised dental health. Together with Comunidad Connect, our team will treat patients who have received little to no dental care, especially those in need of oral surgery. In addition, we'll work with Dr. Lanzas to teach patients how to take care of their teeth on a daily basis, and distribute toothbrushes and toothpaste to promote healthy smiles.

This trip promises to be a testament of teamwork, open-mindedness, and, most importantly, giving back to those in need. We hope you'll consider supporting our endeavor and making this amazing journey possible!