We were pleased to welcome Jeanette Grimley to our September speaker meeting. Jeanette gave us an excellent insight into the Bridge2Aid dental charity and the vital work they are doing in sub-Sahara Africa.
Jeanette is a dental hygienist by profession, and Bridge2Aid presently work in Tanzania to train community health workers in ‘hands on’ dental care for the patients they see. These health workers are already clinically trained to deliver a wide range of health services in their rural communities, and the vital extra training provided by the charity will now enable them to check dental health and perform ‘on demand’ procedures such as dental extractions. Without this help people (many of them children) can face years of pain and the severe effects that come with septicaemia.
Jeanette spoke passionately about the charity and how they work with the communities they help, rather than apply a ‘western approach’ that is not always appropriate and may cause alienation.