Dental volunteerism: is the current model working?

O ral health has been recognized as a basic human right by numerous dental and public health organizations internationally. Yet more than 70% of the world’s population, mostly in lowand middle-income countries, are in need of appropriate and affordable oral health care.1 Some factors that contribute to poor oral health include a lack of resources, oral hygiene habits, oral health education and accessible oral health care.2 Driven by compassion and a desire to help, many dentists and students work with dental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to provide care in these countries. However, while volunteerism is admirable, the traditional aid model often involves short-term missions that focus on a curative approach, which is not always appropriate, holding little or no long-term benefits.3 Since its adoption by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1978, many aid programs in lowand middle-income countries have begun to follow the principles of the primary health care (PHC) model, which are: equity, prevention, appropriate technology, community participation and intersectoral collaboration.1 PHC aims to promote simple curative and preventive care that is efficient and sustainable and that complements the host country’s health system. 1 Unfortunately, this model of care has not been actively adopted by dental NGOs.1 In light of the growth of dental volunteerism, it is important to revive the discussion on the limitations and potentially harmful effects of the current aid model. This article highlights the problematic aspects of the current model of dental volunteerism as identified in key papers, and reviews the WHO’s basic package of oral care (BPOC) which can be used by dental NGOs to provide care within the PHC framework.1