Dental outreach in Ghana

This two week project takes a team of elective students to the Ashanti region of Ghana. Working from a temporary dental clinic in a village school, we conduct a screening programme, offering free treatment for a community that otherwise has little or no access to dental health care. This is our best opportunity to gain hands-on clinical experience in Ghana as much of the treatment work will be carried out by the students.

Project Itinerary

On the first day you will travel out to the project base for a full orientation by a member of the Work the World team.

The project work begins with a number of screening programmes set up in local schools in the area. The focus is on check-ups for primary school children, but if there is time we will do our best to open this up to members of the community who are complaining of dental problems. Any of those screened who require clinical treatment (and this can be as many as 60%) are referred for free treatment and brought back to the project base.

When we have enough referred patients, the group will split into two. This allows us to continue screening whilst the first patients are being treated. Working from the hospital, we also have a mobile dental clinic provided by our partner - the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) so after several days' screening (the exact timetable has to depend on how many patients need referring each day), the whole team will be able to focus on treating the referral patients.

Supervision & clinical experience

While Work the World organises all the logistics of the project, responsibility for clinical supervision lies with the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH). We have a dental supervisor with us in the village to assist with difficult or unusual cases during the screening process and to oversee all clinical work at the project base.

The idea of this project is to have elective students carry out as much of the clinical work as possible, under expert supervision. The opportunities for gaining hands-on experience are therefore substantially greater than with electives attached to a regular dental clinic in Ghana. However, as with all our placements, what your supervisor allows you to do will depend on the level of trust and respect you can earn by demonstrating your abilities and confidence.

Accommodation & food

Accommodation for the project team is provided in a local guesthouse. Work the World take over the whole place, so all communal areas can also be enjoyed exclusively. Conditions in semi-rural Ghana are relatively basic, but you will have a secure room with running water and electricity (albeit somewhat intermittent!) and breakfast and dinner are included. During the day you will be provided with lunch at the site.

The work is from Monday to Friday and so the weekends are free to relax or travel to see some more of the country. Popular options are to head to Kumasi, Ghana’s second city, where there are lots of museums, craft markets and gold to purchase. You are also close to Bia protected area, an isolated forest reserve containing virgin rainforest that you can walk through. Our staff will of course be able to give you lots of help and advice on travelling in Ghana.

Dates

Dental Outreach projects run during the summer months and all dates are listed in the "project dates" box.

Please note that places for this project are limited and fill up early. If you would like to discuss organising a project on another date, and have a few friends interested in joining you, we are always happy to look into setting up new projects.