The Review 2015

25 Dental Mission in Africa Seeding the Future An intensive two-week trip to Uganda by dental professionals and students brought their expertise to a population that, in some places, had never seen a toothbrush. Professor Gary Cheung Shun-pan (above, kneeling in green gown) and Year 5 students Michelle Cheung Wing-yin and Jonathan Wah Yat-shing (back row, second right and far right, respectively) of the Faculty of Dentistry were part of a 40-strong team that included about a dozen local dentists as well as nurses and volunteers to carry out building works in the communities they visited. The trip was organised by Watoto Asia in late July and involved examining and treating nearly 800 patients in the capital Kampala and in the village Gulu, which was reached via an eight-hour road trip. They brought their own supplies and equipment, including portable dental chairs, and worked under very difficult conditions. “The clinic in the village did not have air-conditioning and there were flies and mosquitoes all around,” Michelle said. “There was no autoclave machine for disinfection and we had to set up everything ourselves. We also had to be creative – we tried building our own surgical suction tube. This made us realise how lucky we are to be working in Hong Kong in a very clean environment.” The students were tasked with assisting the dentists and giving a presentation on oral health education to the local people. They also participated in activities to support HIV-positive mothers. Jonathan said the trip was beneficial in many ways: they were able to learn about a new culture and the oral hygiene habits of its people, to apply their learning, and to learn from experienced dentists. “The locals believed more than we did that what we were doing was meaningful and important. At home, dentists are generally not so highly-appreciated by patients,” he said. Professor Cheung said he hoped to take more students to Uganda in future. “This was quite a meaningful trip for the students and for myself, and I hope we can repeat it.” The University believes wholeheartedly in the importance of an international ethos to learning and discovery. We encourage students to look beyond Hong Kong for exchange, experiential and service learning, and research opportunities, and by 2022 we will be providing virtually every undergraduate and research postgraduate student with the chance to undertake such placements. We also actively encourage our academic staff to collaborate with partners in Mainland China and the rest of the world. The Review 2015 Internationalisation