Dental Care in Santa Cruz, Isabela and Floreana

Photo By Red Mangrove

 

Photo By Red Mangrove

 

Photo By Red Mangrove

 

Photo By Red Mangrove

 

Dental Care in Santa Cruz, Isabela and Floreana.

Tourism not only involves service providers and guests, but it also has a direct impact on the people of the towns. Knowing this, Red Mangrove has decided to once again get involved with the welfare of families living in Galapagos. This new program builds on existing dental health programs to improve care and access. The first Red Mangrove provided dental health services to the inhabitants of Santa Cruz, Floreana and Isabela and treating a total of 111 people from August 9th to 19th. This dental program was made in cooperation with the University of Cuenca.

Those who have visited the Galapagos know that its infrastructure conditions are different from mainland Ecuador especially on Floreana Island, but these details were not an impediment to a first class dental health care, to the point that not only diagnosis was made but a complete dental care, which included:

Prophylaxis, scalings, resins, sealants, extractions, and fluoride applications.

This work providing total treatment was made as a full-time job 9.00 AM to 8:30 PM, and every day more people arrived seeking dental care.

The activities total 95 prophylaxis, 50 Scaling, 70 resins, 3 sealing, 16 extractions and 16 fluoride applications to 111 patients whose ages were from 18 months to 61 years and from Floreana, Isabela and Santa Cruz islands.

Despite the hard work of shipments between the islands carrying the portable dental equipment plus all other necessary materials, there was a delicate and qualified attention to the greatest number of people that were in need for dental health.

This visit also gave the opportunity to provide education on oral hygiene and ask the islanders to commit maintaining care of their teeth, so that a second visit will be appropriate just for a checkup and not for new interventions.

Red Mangrove would like to thank Dr. Oswaldo Vazquez, Dean of the School of Dentistry at the University of Cuenca, Miss Andrea Montesinos, and Miss Karina Espinoza for their collaborative efforts on this health program.

A second visit in coming months is planned by the dentists, to evaluate the dental health program and we will be glad to assist more people. The program was, and will always be free of cost to all of the islanders.