Dental Student Inspired by International Elective Externship
Hundreds of underserved residents, mostly children, in San Blas and the Copper Canyon region in northwest Mexico lined up at makeshift dental clinics earlier this month to receive free care from one aspiring dentist who knows the importance of health care for all.
Mark Hamanishi DMD 10 spent one and a half weeks visiting rural villages during the day and sleeping on school floors at night to treat people who might not otherwise see a dentist.
“Providing free health care in a third-world setting is so different from volunteering in a local setting in the United States,” Hamanishi says. “It was a shock to find out that people had no idea about dental care.”
Hamanishi traveled with retired Minnesota dentist Fred Kalinoff, who visits the Mexican state of Sinaloa and the Copper Canyon monthly from November to June to provide free care.
Hamanishi and Dr. Kalinoff treated emergencies first, extracting infected teeth, and then applied sealants to children’s teeth and filled or extracted adults’ teeth.
Hamanishi says Dr. Kalinoff’s energy is inspirational.
“This trip met my expectations in every way and reinforced that this is something I want to continue to do as a dental professional.”
Photos from the trip are available on GSDM's Facebook page.