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Service in the Academy

Five years ago, we began our major thrust of partner shipping with many great humanitarian service organizations. They have welcomed us as we join with them and add a “dental service arm” to their already successful expeditions. A much greater amount of dental service has been given by our members as a result of this. Most have returned with the desire to go again and again. It's great to see the enthusiasm, which is beginning to gain momentum in doing dental service around the world.

We purchased Rotodent (Portable Delivery) units which may be used on these expeditions where needed. Dr. Dave Dickerson is our coordinator and contact person for borrowing those units.

Our own Guadalajara Mexico Orphanage Project has expanded much during that time, also. Thanks to the leadership of Dale Linton, Scott Healey, Steve Sorensen, and Francis Alder that project has allowed many to experience foreign service in an organized “turn key type” setting. Training helps, packing lists, and trip suggestions are available as you sign up. DWayne and Donna Zobel have recently agreed to coordinate the efforts in that project. We also are beginning to extend to Puerto Vallarta orphanages with the same equipment. You can take your family and/or staff and have a wonderful experience fulfilling the urgent dental needs of many adorable children.

At our August Conferences we began having displays by many of our members who have done dental service with these organizations as well as on their own. We thank those who willingly share their experiences, skills, insights, and enthusiasm for doing dental service in the many places and ways available.

The San Marcos (Lima) Dental School Project that Rick and Alma Meyers directed has become the model after which other projects are being designed. In April the fifth service group from the Academy went down to that school and did much dental service on needy patients. Dallas Murdock made the myriad of arrangements for the first four successful trips. This year Greg Hatch and his wife very admirably continued refining that experience to be a very productive, educational, and fun service project for all who participated. It seems ideal in that our members work with and improve the skills of local professionals while greatly providing good dentistry to many needy patients.
We have been very fortunate to have Dr. Rick Meyers join our leadership group and share his skills and experience throughout our service programs. He was asked by the Church’s Humanitarian Department to be our Academy’s liaison with their dental projects.

Five dental missionary couples have been helping in other schools in Indonesia, Cambodia, and Mongolia to establish teaching clinics for various specialties of dentistry. Using the “Lima model” a multi-chair teaching clinic is planned and built and a dental couple called to help elevate the teaching methods and technical skills of dentistry in that area.

Dr. Wayne (and wife, Janean) Chisholm are working in Tonga as dental missionaries in the 4 chair clinic that they established with Deseret International. Please read about their experiences there. You will be impressed with, motivated by, and grateful for their professional leadership and service to the people on the islands.

We have joined with a private group of humanitarian business men and families from Provo as they have directed a creative project in a dental school in Honduras. We applaud the creative and generous actions that they are initiating to help in dentistry and missionary work in that country. Watch this project blossom to amplify the dental service model in the future.

The Academy Foundation has been developed to allow donors to help facilitate the further progress of some of the projects mentioned above. Dr. David Hobson is heading that committee. Many people have a desire to help promote great service like we are able to give in our profession and are anxious to see our great efforts succeed. Please help your acquaintances know of our service program and the opportunity that they now have to help us improve the dental health in many third world countries by contributing to the Academy’s Humanitarian Service Foundation.

Many of our members have done dental service or training in their own cities & areas working with less fortunate patients close to home. We, as an executive committee, have been impressed and inspired by those who have given amazing amounts of humanitarian service in the dental field. Truly we are a blessed people and have been fortunate to be a part of a great service profession.

We have received letters and calls from numerous other members who would like to get involved in organized service projects. We hope to help you feel comfortable choosing the appropriate venues for your service.

We have our Web page (www.academyofldsdentists.com) whereon we make available descriptions of these service organizations and provide links to many of them so you can easily access their current list of upcoming projects and dates. We place some of the outstanding reports of these groups on the web and in our newsletters so you can become familiar with the details of their experiences.. Our hope is to help you prepare to share your skills on some future expeditions.

We are building a whole new era of service through the Academy. Please share your ideas and experiences with us as you join in the momentum.

May you be blessed as you do so,
Your Executive Committee