Professors and students from Fones School of Dental Hygiene at the University of Bridgeport traveled this month to Roatan, an island off the coast of Honduras, to provide oral healthcare to some of the poorest residents in the region.
Led by professors Leigh-Lynn Vitukinas, R.D.H., and Sandra Stramoski, R.D.H., five dental hygiene students and two recent graduates from Fones treated 200 patients and educated at least 500 more children and adults from May 30 to June 6.
The Fones group gave free toothbrushes and invited villagers to come for free dental screenings, cleanings, fluoride treatments, sealants, and other services that they provided at a local health center and a makeshift dental clinic set up in the town of Flowers Bay.
"I was surprised by how much of a need there is. I didn't realize a community could be so forgotten," Vitukinas said in a press release. "It was an exhausting week full of work and fun."
This is the second summer Vitukinas and Stramoski have led the outreach trip to Roatan.
Competition to go on the trip was high; 23 students from Fones applied for the available slots. Participants were selected based on an application essay and their personal backgrounds.
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