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The medical team traveled in tandem with
the dental team to Kilometro Veinte, and
established an area in a local
schoolroom to see patients. The team was
made up of Dr. Heydin Otero and Dr.
Daniel Cannon. They provided medical
consultations to both children and
adults, some of whom had walked 4-5
hours to be seen. Patients were
dividided into groups in order to attend
first the ones coming from further away.
A total of 277 patients in three and a
half days were evaluated and treated.
Medications used to treat the patients
were provided by Rio San Juan Relief and
also by MAP International. A wide
variety of medical problems were seen.
These included musculoskeletal problems,
eye disorders, respiratory infections,
skin diseases, and two infants with
dehydration caused by vomiting and
diarrhea that required hospitalization.
Two pediatric cases of cutaneous
leishmaniasis were diagnosed and
arrangements were made for the children
to be transported for confirmatory
testing and treatment. A 14 year-old
patient presented with a neck mass
suggestive of lymphoma, and arrangements
were made for surgical biopsy.
The Dental team consisted
of Dr. Chris Cannon, Dr. Dave Zelley and
CDA's Debbie White and Chantel Cannon.
Close to 300 kids were seen at the
school at Kilometro Viente with
treatment consisting of extractions and
glass ionomer restorations. Children as
young as three were seen with the large
majority being between the ages of 4-12.
Some older kids and adults were also
seen. Toothbrushes and oral hygiene
instructions were given to all the
children. Dr. Cannon noted that the
decay rate was lower than last year
which was encouraging but the
extractions were more difficult with
many of the permanent teeth decayed to
the gumline. The immediate future goal
is to set up a Fluoride program that can
be set up in the area schools.
Eventually a dental clinic can be set up
for more comprehensive care.
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