Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - More than three decades after they helped establish a dental school here, the ADA is part of an international cooperative effort to help Vietnamese dentists address their country's public health dentistry needs through a new continuing education program.

Led by the Vietnamese Dental School Faculty of Odonto-Stomotology in Ho Chi Minh City, the dental public health program was developed through Dentistry Overseas. Sponsored by the ADA, Dentistry Overseas is a division of Health Volunteers Overseas, a private, non-profit organization committed to improving health care in developing countries through training and education.

Program Funding: (from left) Dr. C. Neil Kay, Dentistry Overseas Steering Committee; Dr. Charles M. Simons, USA Section 2002 President; Dr. Shick and Dr. Leff are on hand as the ICD presents $25,000 to support the Vietnam public health program.

The U.S.A. Section of the International College of Dentists recently provided a $25,000 grant to fund the program. Fitting perfectly into the ICD's mission, "the program should have a profound impact on the ability of Vietnam to manage its oral health care system and positively impact the health of its citizens," says Dr. Richard A. Shick, 2001 President of the U.S.A. Section of the International College of Dentists.

"By supporting this important program, we believe we give our members the opportunity to perform humanitarian dental work, even if they can't physically visit Vietnam."

The international collaborative effort to establish a dental public health education program will help Vietnamese dentists provide better access to care in a country that has only one dentist for every 48,000 citizens, explains Dr. Gary S. Leff, director of the ADA/HVO Vietnam dental public health program.

"The advantage of establishing this program through HVO is that it combines the expertise of U.S. dentists with the expertise of professors and dentists in the international community," says Dr. Leff. "It also provides a model for dental collaboration between research and education and between volunteer programs and university systems."

Nearly 80 percent of Vietnam's 78 million people live in 1,600 dentists' practice in urban areas. Although Vietnam has a national plan for oral health activities, very few rural residents have access to any dental health services.

The FOS dental public health program, now approaching its second anniversary, offers both a two-year certificate and a master's degree from Vietnam's Ministry of Education for members of the faculty and dentists already working in the profession. These qualifications can lead to pay raises for dentists who complete the program, and classes are scheduled to enable dentists to practice full time as well as participate in the program.

The dental school hosts visiting professors each January and June to teach the core courses. Dr. Martin Hobdell, a world-renowned leader in the field and chair of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston dental public health department, directs curriculum development. Volunteer faculty includes dental public health specialists from Australia, Canada, Malaysia, South Africa, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The faculty of Odonto-Stomotology provides the academic "home" for the program and handles student and local faculty recruitment and support. HVO's role is to continue to recruit ADA members as volunteers and to monitor and evaluate their effectiveness. The University of Texas continues to work closely with FOS to coordinate and monitor the program as well as to seek funding and recruit experienced teachers.

"The amount of good we can achieve now and into the future is incredible," adds Dr. Shick. "Things are going extremely well and it gives a model to do the same thing in other countries."

Dentistry Overseas is seeking volunteers to serve as didactic instructors in January and June or to develop self-study courses that students will work on independently during their two-year program. Assignments range from one to four weeks. Volunteers should be ADA members with a background in dental public health curriculum.

Dentistry Overseas also offers volunteer opportunities for its Vietnam programs in orthodontics and implant dentistry.

Volunteers are responsible for making and financing their own travel arrangements as well as their room, board and other expenses. For more information, call the HVO program department at 1(202) 296-0928, visit the web site: www.hvousa.org, or e-mail: info@hvousa.org