What is a Brigade?

Brigades defn groups of passionate volunteers mobilizing toward positive social change.

Our Vision:  Over the next 5 years, Global Dental Brigades will supplement a holistic model for health care in more than 40 Honduran communities. In conjunction with medical, public health, and water brigades, dental brigades will provide Hondurans with dental hygiene care, proper oral hygiene instructions, restorative care to the teeth that can be saved and extractions for the ones that cannot.  Proper preventative dental care will help stop the most common chronic disease at its root, protect the children from severe dental decay before 12 years of age and provide the foundation to start a new trend of passing down proper oral hygiene care through families. In this way, we can help to empower Honduran communities with a self motivating desire care for their teeth and overall health.

A Dental Brigade consists of dental and dental hygiene student volunteers and dental professionals to provide dental care to in-need communities.  The group functions like a mobile dental unit, setting up small clinics to diagnose and treat patients at no cost.  From in-take, to triage, to anesthesia, to dental treatment, the volunteers experience the many realms of the dental profession under the guidance of licensed dental professionals.

• Intake
  
• Every dental brigade starts with the people of intake. Generally comprised of at least two people depending on the size of the volunteer group, these people write down patients’ name, date of birth, sex, community, etc. It is helpful if the volunteers working in intake have some knowledge of Spanish as they will have to communicate with patients and write down often unfamiliar names. Many times we work with local community members to perform this task. 
  

• Triage
• This station is usually comprised of dental students and is the next stop for patients after intake. In triage, patients relay their symptoms/ailments while volunteers take blood pressure, pulse and breathing rate etc. Once again, a grasp of Spanish is helpful in order to communicate otherwise translators will be provided. 
  

• Screening and Diagnosis
• This station is comprised of dental students who will who attend to patients after they have been through triage. These students will screen the patient’s mouth for decayed, missing and filled teeth.  Any other significant observations will also be recorded, such as cleft pallets, asymmetry of the face or any infections present.  The patient will then be sent to anesthesia if they have any cavities or need extractions.  If not then they will be sent to the dental cleaning section.  Here is a sample of a screening and diagnosis form: PATIENT TREATMENT RECORD.doc

• Anesthesia
  
• In this station, dentists or dental students, depending on their year in dental school, will administer anesthesia to the patients. Topical maybe used prior to giving the injection.  The patient will then wait for about 5-10 minutes prior to procedure for the anesthesia to set in.

• Treatment
• Depending on the extent of decay the patient may be sent to the extraction section or to the restorative section (if we are able to get a portable high/low speed, H2O, air unit).  At the extraction section, extractions will take place and at the restorative site composite or amalgam will be placed as fillings. 
  

• Oral Hygiene Instruction
• EVERY patient will receive proper OHI, shown on typodonts so that they know the correct way to brush their teeth.  EVERY patient will receive a toothbrush, and a tube of toothpaste.

• Post Treatment
• Patients will receive Ibuprofin for pain, for more extensive pain other medicines maybe given out if we they are in our local pharmacy or you bring them. 
  

• Dental Cleaning
• If the patient, mostly children, do not require extraction or fillings, general teeth cleanings can be administered.  If the calculus is not extensive then polishing can also be preformed. The extent of cleaning is dependent on if the group can raise enough money to get the equipment to do these cleanings.  Otherwise, Global Dental Brigades can provide equipment in-country. 
  

• Other Roles and Responsibilities: Translators and Crowd Control
• Translators: Volunteers proficient in Spanish are crucial parts of the brigades so that the dental professionals know exactly what problems are plaguing each patient. Without translators, dental brigades would turn into a guessing game. That said, at least four translators are needed in every volunteer group.
  
  Crowd Control: These are the volunteers who direct traffic from one station to the next and maintain a sense of order within the brigade. Dental brigades vary in size but can involve treating several hundred patients in one day making crowd control an essential part of the brigade machine.
  
  Extra Positions: Extra positions depend on the size of the volunteer group. Volunteers to entertain the many children of the brigades, whether through crafts, games or toys, are always needed. Additionally, stations are often set up based upon specific careers or skills that volunteers possess.
  

• Environmental and Water Brigades
  
• In addition to any brigade (medical, dental, business, etc...) we encourage volunteers to recruit additional students to improve the overall living environments in the villages.  Many of the public health epidemics in these communities can be prevented with environmental projects such as: chimney stove construction, cement floor installations, water projects, community clean-ups, and establishing waste management systems.  For more information, please visit our Water Brigades and Environmental Brigades websites.