Lending a Helping Hand

Imagine leaving the workplace for two weeks to devote your time, knowledge, and skills to transform hundreds of lives. It all began from a patient’s idea, using the right tools and a big heart. Offering dental services to patients and practitioners in Ethiopia – a country with only 48 dentists for a population of 80 million – Dr. Paul Sclodnick reveals the most rewarding experience of a lifetime. The encounter made him appreciate the practice of dentistry at a whole new level.

Q1: What drew you to Ethiopia?
I have a patient who is very involved with an organization called Global Reach Children’s Fund. They’re building an orphanage in Ethiopia called Faith Village. This was their first medical and dental mission to Ethiopia, one of the poorest countries in the world. I was a little apprehensive about going to Africa, since I’ve never been there and I expected it to be very different. Its people have a very healthy, traditional diet, but lately there has been a growing market for soft drinks, because of Western influence. The result is a proliferation of decaying, bad teeth. Read more