Walking up to the entrance of the Bwaila Hospital dental clinic, I was greeted by a line of over 60 patients eagerly waiting to receive dental treatment. Some had severe tooth pain, holding onto their faces tightly and fighting off tears. Others had large swollen masses, most likely severe dental infections, protruding from their cheeks. Once the doors opened at 8:30am, the patients were first sent to the diagnosis room where they were screened and examined by a dental therapist. Next, they went to the injection room and were anesthetized for their upcoming procedure. Lastly, they were sent to us in the treatment room, also known as the “extraction room.” In the treatment room were 4 cracked and severely worn dental chairs and a small table covered in old and broken dental instruments. These limited resources made it difficult for us to treat patients, but we were up for the challenge! With the help of 4 dental students from UNC we were able to treat 75 patient in just 3 hours! As soon as one patient’s treatment was completed, the next was seated seconds later. Despite the limited resources, it was a well-oiled machine designed to efficiently treat as many patients as possible. This experience highlighted the need for dental instruments and materials at many clinics throughout Malawi. With proper instruments, the patients would be able to receive a higher quality of care and the dentists and dental therapists would be able to work more efficiently.
