Argentina: dental hygiene program for children in Buenos Aires

More than 700 children in the dental hygiene program in the Villa Zagala slum in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Dental hygiene is particularly important because without teeth, children have little chance in life later on.

In the slums, people eat a lot of sugar: it quickly satisfies hunger and is cheap. As people have no knowledge of dental care, even small children have a lot of tooth decay and destroyed milk teeth. This means permanent infections, constant pain, which leads to many days of absence from school and little chance of getting a job if a young person is missing even a few teeth. Without teeth, no formal work. Without formal work, no way out of poverty.

Apotheker ohne Grenzen Germany e. V. works with the support of the German Dental Aid Foundation in a dental hygiene project in six kindergartens and two elementary school in the slums of Buenos Aires.

The association runs a pharmacy in a health center in Villa Zagla in Buenos Aires - around 30,000 inhabitants belong to its catchment area. Since the reliable supply of medicines has been ensured by volunteer Argentinian pharmacists, the health center has become very popular. Patients come because of an acute problem, knowing that they will now receive the medicine they need. They also bring their children because they can get iron drops, vitamins or the antibiotic they need at the pharmacy. Doctors, gynecologists and pediatricians take this opportunity and send the children straight to the dentist. This means that the dentist doesn't just have to pull teeth (the usual work, you only come when "it hurts" and it's often too late by then), but can work on maintaining the teeth.

700 children from elementary school and kindergartens in the catchment area are now part of the dental hygiene program. In addition, Pharmacists Without Borders works with a dentist and a midwife to ensure that babies, who are brought to the health center by their mothers for check-ups, receive proper dental care in good time.

Several times a year, the dentist and AoG pharmacist Dr. Carina Vetye visit kindergartens and schools. They provide toothbrushes, toothpaste and regular training sessions. Using a dental model, the children learn how to use toothbrushes and brush their teeth properly in a fun way. Using tooth coloring tablets, the children can make "the dirt" (plaque) visible and check their brushing behavior themselves. Through small experiments, they can see what effect acid from food or drinks, for example, has on tooth enamel.

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