Academy of LDS Dentists

June 1 , 2010

From Dr. Dwayne Zobell:

I just returned last night from Argentina and Paraguay. I have been working with Deseret International on several projects in Argentina and I will give you an update on what I have.

The Area Presidency has approved a project in the city of Cordoba to help with the Municipal Health Department. The Church wants to do something to help the city in conjunction with the Cordoba Temple that is moving forward. The Health Department has 100 medical clinics in the city and 70 have a dental operatory (some have more than one). They usually have as many as 1000 patients each day at these clinics.

My understanding is that the Church, working with Deseret International, is providing funding to equip 10 operatories to increase the number of dental clinics to 80. Dr. Bill Jackson from Deseret can give you more detailed information. They told me on Sunday that the donation would take place prior to August, 2010 when the new Area Presidency comes in. The Municipal Dental Health Director is more than willing to have us come and participate in dental projects if we would like to do so.

Last week I went with Ronaldo Walker, the representative in Argentina for Deseret International, to the area north of Buenos Aires called Tigre. I took down a portable dental unit from Hampton Research and other supplies that we donated to the Tigre Health Department to help them equip a bus that will be a mobile health clinic to help care for people in more remote areas of their jurisdiction. We toured six of their health clinics and visited with them about helping to get more dental equipment for several of the clinics.

Ronaldo and I then travelled to Paraguay with Gustavo Berta, from the South American South Area Humanitarian Welfare Services Department to a remote village called La Abundancia, about 450 km from Asuncion We assessed the possibility of doing a project for the Nivaclete Indigenous people who the Church has relocated to an area in Chaco, Paraguay. There is a chapel there, and apparently Dr. Richard Smith along with Dr. David Dickerson had been there previously to take care of their dental needs. Based on my current assessment, there is still great need for dental care, clothing, sanitation, basic health care instruction, etc. I am planning on presenting this information at the Academy meeting to see if there is interest in having an expedition either in October or during the week of Thanksgiving 2010.

As far as Peru is concerned, I had been contacted by Dr. Steve Crump about a year ago, who participated in a project we had two years ago in March for the native missionaries in the four missions in Lima and the MTC. Steve and his son (who is a dentist in Spokane) and Dr. Jim Meadows from Portland and I were able to use the clinic at San Marcos, but as you have read, we did run into some problems that the missionaries caused. I have heard that Deseret International has a project in Peru, but I am not familiar with the area nor the dentist involved. Dr. Bill Jackson would be able to give you more info on this.

Dr. Dwayne Zobell
ddzdds@aol.com
ddzdds@mac.com