Smile: A Dental Missionary Comes

Chogoria welcomes Dr. Mungo, a dental missionary. He and his family will be living near the hospital.

Interestingly for Americans—where dental caries (cavities) are the most common form of oral disease—the prevalence is quite low in Africa. In a report from the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa, Samuel J. Thorpe writes that the most severe oral health problems in Africa include cancrum oris, acute necrotising gingivitis, oral cancer, and oral manifestations of HIV/AIDS.

The report also says that “Poverty is arguably the most important determinant of health and ill-health.” So, while  Dr. Mungo does his best from the dental angle, Village Hopecore and the participants in our loan programs will be doing their best on the poverty angle.