Henry Schein supports Burmadent to supply urgent healthcare products to Myanmar

Henry Schein Dental UK supported Burmadent charity’s recent mission to Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) by donating urgently needed health care products. During this mission, which has also been supported by dental materials provider VOCO, seven volunteers, four of whom were dentists, took care of more than 620 patients in nine days in remote rural areas of Myanmar. In addition, aftercare education was given.

Myanmar has poor dental services. There is no access to dentistry and oral neglect is rife with

no oral health education. Many of the people are unable to afford or access dental treatment. Following a chance encounter whilst on holiday in Myanmar in 2012, Sharon Bierer and Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen organised a trip to Inle Lake in November 2012 to provide dental care to orphans at the Mein Thauk orphanage. Accompanied by two Burmese dentists and Mrs Lesley Naismith, Senior Manager of Henry Schein’s practice solutions affiliate Software of Excellence in the UK, they treated more than 1,200 patients around Lake Inle. As a result of this successful trip, Burmadent was founded and registered as a charity in the United Kingdom in January 2013. ^*)

“We saw plenty of children with mouths filled with blackened stumps of teeth, sometimes infected. But the effect of fluoride varnish is beginning to show in those orphanages we have been visiting for the last three years,” said Sharon Bierer, one of the Founders of Burmadent. “We have to thank Henry Schein and VOCO for their generous help for these desperately poor people. Without their and the volunteers’ kindness, none of this could happen.”

Henry Schein’s support is part of Henry Schein Cares, the company’s global corporate social responsibility programme. Health care activities supported by Henry Schein Cares focus on three main areas: advancing access to care, building capacity in the delivery of health care services, and assisting in emergency preparedness and relief.

“Burmadent’s purpose is to encourage dentists to volunteer their time to provide dentistry to the poor and disadvantaged in Myanmar. Henry Schein Cares helps increase access to care for underserved populations through three focus areas: wellness and prevention; emergency preparedness and relief; and building health care capacity. So we are perfectly placed to partner each other in our goals. We are very happy to be able to contribute in such a positive way to the oral health of so many people through this activity,” said Patrick Allen, Managing Director of Henry Schein Dental UK.

1. A Burmadent volunteer team offering dental treatment to more than 620 poor Burmese patients who cannot afford dental care.
2. Burmese children with blackened stumps of teeth are not a rarity.

About Burmadent

 Following a chance encounter whilst on holiday in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) in March 2012, Sharon Bierer and Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen organised a trip to Inle Lake in November 2012 to provide dental care to orphans at the Mein Thauk orphanage. Accompanied by two Burmese dentists and a senior manager of Henry Schein’s practice solutions affiliate Software of Excellence in the United Kingdom, they treated over 1,200 patients around Lake Inle.

As a result of this successful trip, Burmadent was founded and registered as a charity (1150468) in the United Kingdom in January 2013. Since then volunteers have been treating patients around Rangoon (Yangon) and Lake Inle in the shan province. In 2014 Burmadent purchased two mobile dental units with two patient chairs per unit. These units will be used to outreach at nursery schools, primary schools and remote areas. The units consist of patient chair, light, compressor, suction, handpieces, light cure and autoclave. The additional patient chair will allow for a second dental professional to perform extractions, fluoride varnish and examinations.

Burmadent’s mission is to provide dental care and oral health education to the people of Myanmar through the provision of volunteer dental workers, training, equipment and materials. It aims to be a vehicle for dental professionals to volunteer to provide dental services in Myanmar in the areas of need by fundraising to buy equipment and materials. To read more about Burmadent, please visit www.burmadent.com.