Christel Autuori
Toothbrushes for Honduras ---Children helping children
Ten years ago I travelled to Honduras as part of a medical and dental brigade from Cape CARES (Central American Relief Efforts) to provide dental hygiene care and teach basic oral health. The people in the village of San Marcos de Langue had very poor dental health, and most of the teeth that remained in their mouths were so badly decayed and broken that they had to be extracted. In fact, most people had lost all their teeth by the age of twenty. The people in this area had never had a toothbrush, and did not know how important it is to keep one's teeth clean. Furthermore, they chewed or sucked on stalks of sugar cane, a readily available sweet treat. The combination of sugar, oral bacteria, and no toothbrushing produced rampant tooth decay.
In addition to providing dental cleanings in our rudimentary dental clinic in San Marcos, I visited the local schools to distribute toothbrushes and teach basic brushing techniques. The only way the people in San Marcos would be able to save their teeth is to learn how to care for them and learn that it is not inevitable for one to lose all the teeth by adulthood. The first day I visited the schools I quickly ran out of toothbrushes.
Before my trip the following year I enlisted the help of the schoolchildren in my hometown to collect toothbrushes for me to take to San Marcos, and 700 toothbrushes were collected. In addition, the middle school students studying Spanish made cards and letters about the importance of toothbrushing and preventing cavities. The Honduran children were happy to receive the toothbrushes, and excited to get the cards and letters from the children in Ridgefield, CT. They were surprised and happy that children in a place so far away knew about them and wanted to help and send them toothbrushes.
Each year when I return home from Honduras, I visit the Ridgefield schools and bring pictures, videos, and stories about the Honduran children, and how happy they are to receive the toothbrushes. The Ridgefield children learn that life in Honduras is very different, with no electricity or running water, no computers or video games, and not even a toothbrush The generous and compassionate Ridgefield children in every school in town participated in the toothbrush drive this year, and over 9,700 toothbrushes were collected for the children in Honduras.
I look forward to my next trip to San Marcos de Langue, to provide dental care and promote good oral health. I am happy to have this opportunity to make a positive impact on their dental health, and I am especially pleased and grateful to have the help of the children in Ridgefield in this effort. Children in Honduras, as well as in Connecticut, are the future leaders of our world. Compassion, generosity, sensitivity, cooperation, and a genuine altruism should be encouraged and developed in our children, and the Ridgefield children are role models.