Dental Hope Lands in Remote Liberia

In the remote Liberian town of Tapeta, where access to dental care is nearly non-existent, MAF helped make smiles a little brighter, literally. Flying a team from Trinity Dental Clinic, MAF enabled a five-day outreach clinic that performed over 350 tooth extractions and several complex procedures for people with no other options.

With only a handful of qualified dentists in a country of 4 million, and most based in the capital Monrovia, rural Liberians often suffer through severe dental issues without treatment. One patient in Tapeta arrived with a serious jawbone infection, requiring urgent surgery. “Half of his mandible had been destroyed,” said dentist Daniel J Kaiuway. The team was able to treat him and coordinated follow-up care with the local clinic.

To address the ongoing need, Trinity Dental Clinic has launched a dental therapy training program. Student Moses Jarfimah, who assisted during the trip, hopes to return to Tapeta to serve his community long-term.

“Without MAF, this wouldn’t have been possible,” said Dr Renju Kunjumon. “We were able to help over 150 people in just one week.” It’s the second time MAF and Trinity Dental have partnered to bring care to isolated communities and they hope to continue expanding to more regions in the future.

This video is one of the first visual stories produced in collaboration with Trinity Dental Clinic.