Resident Spotlight: Dr. Chaudry (Umar) Asghar DPH 25 Assists Cambodian Children with Disabilities and in Low-Resource Settings
More than 90 percent of Cambodian preschool children experience tooth decay – one of the highest rates in Southeast Asia.
To address the extreme levels of pediatric dental caries in Cambodia, Dr. Bethy Turton, GSDM assistant professor of general dentistry and co-founder of the University of Puthisastra’s Collaborating Centre for Innovation in Population Oral Health (CIPO), and her team are working on strengthening the Cambodian healthcare system, including expanding the availability of dental care.
In August 2024, GSDM resident Dr. Chaudry (Umar) Asghar DPH 25 traveled to Cambodia to support CIPO colleagues in observing and delivering triaged dental care (assessing the complexity and determining the best treatment options) for children with disabilities in low-resource settings. He also helped develop oral health education materials for children who are hard of hearing and/or visually impaired.

Turton said she thoroughly enjoys having GSDM residents join the work in Cambodia, as it is an opportunity for mutual learning and an exchange of ideas.
Asghar said the experience providing triaged dental care showed him how to provide high-quality dental care with sparse resources. He was pleased to see that the Cambodian children he was treating, even those who were suffering from dental decay, were eager to be seen by the team of dental professionals.
“I learned that these kids are going through so much, but they were profoundly happy to see the dental team and I’ve never expected that,” Ashgar said. “These kids [have a] willingness to get the thing done. I think the community work that we do has a profound effect on these children.”
Turton’s team is also focused on providing oral health education to children in Cambodia and their families, with a special focus on creating and distributing oral healthcare education materials designed for children with disabilities. Turton said previous research has concluded that children who are hard of hearing and/or visually impaired are more likely to experience anxiety and discomfort in dental settings than children without disabilities.

While in Cambodia, Asghar wrote content for these educational materials that would be translated translated from English into Khmer (the country’s official language) and Braille. According to Asghar, one way the CIPO team is tailoring the materials to the population they’re serving is by using photographs of Cambodian children, as seeing familiar faces tends to put children more at ease.
“We have oral health education material all over the world, but educational material targeting children who are [hard of hearing and visually impaired], we don’t have that,” Asghar said. “Studies show that if you explain the treatment to the patient or children beforehand, there’s less chance of developing anxiety. There’s a barrier between the dentist and the patient always and some patients are really scared. This can reduce anxiety.”
After visiting Cambodia, Asghar said this hands-on field work broadened his mindset as to what dental care can look like and how to treat patients who need a unique approach to care. He hopes to travel back to Cambodia in the future to check in with the children to whom he provided care.
“[Field work] really pushes you as like a dental professional,” Asghar said. “It’s one thing to know how to use state-of-the-art equipment but, can you provide the same level of care with what is around you? It’s great to get outside of your comfort zone because you never know when you’re going to be in a situation.”