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LAMAT 25 brings essential dental care, training to Union Island, St. Vincent

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Adriana Barrientos
  • 433rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
UNION ISLAND, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines --  

Dental professionals from the 433rd Aerospace Medicine Squadron from Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, and the 349th Medical Squadron from Travis Air Force Base, California, partnered with Air Forces Southern to support the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team 2025 mission in Union Island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, March 17-21. The mission enhanced military readiness, while providing essential dental care and hygiene education to remote island communities.

The LAMAT 2025 mission specifically targeted Union Island, which had been severely impacted by Hurricane Beryl in July 2024. The storm caused widespread damage, leaving the island's medical facilities in disrepair and significantly hindering residents’ access to healthcare.

U.S. Air Force Col. Michael Bates, 433rd Aerospace Medicine Squadron (AMDS) dentist, left, and Senior Airman Joshua Antonio Moreno, 433rd AMDS dental technician, right, prepare toothpaste for a teeth cleaning procedure during the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission at Celina Clouden Smart Hospital, Union Island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, March 20, 2025.

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U.S. Air Force Col. Michael Bates, 433rd Aerospace Medicine Squadron (AMDS) dentist, left, and Senior Airman Joshua Antonio Moreno, 433rd AMDS dental technician, right, prepare toothpaste for a teeth cleaning procedure during the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission at Celina Clouden Smart Hospital, Union Island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, March 20, 2025. The LAMAT 25 mission provided dental care and hygiene education to local island communities while allowing Reserve Citizen Airmen to enhance their medical proficiency and military readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Adriana Barrientos)
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U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Joshua Antonio Moreno, 433rd Aerospace Medicine Squadron dental technician, right, holds a young patient’s hand for comfort while assisting U.S. Air Force Col. Michael Bates, 433rd AMDS dentist, with a teeth cleaning procedure during the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission at Celina Clouden Smart Hospital, Union Island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, March 20, 2025.

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U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Joshua Antonio Moreno, 433rd Aerospace Medicine Squadron dental technician, right, holds a young patient’s hand for comfort while assisting U.S. Air Force Col. Michael Bates, 433rd AMDS dentist, with a teeth cleaning procedure during the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission at Celina Clouden Smart Hospital, Union Island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, March 20, 2025. The LAMAT 25 mission provided essential dental care and hygiene education to remote island residents while ensuring Reserve Citizen Airmen sharpen their clinical skills in resource limited environments. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Adriana Barrientos)
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U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Brian Phan, a biomedical equipment technician with the 628th Healthcare Operations Squadron, Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, ensures dental equipment is operational during the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission at Celina Clouden Smart Hospital, Union Island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, March 20, 2025.

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U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Brian Phan, a biomedical equipment technician with the 628th Healthcare Operations Squadron, Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, ensures dental equipment is operational during the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission at Celina Clouden Smart Hospital, Union Island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, March 20, 2025. As the only biomedical equipment technician embedded in the team, Phan provided critical support to ensure medical devices remained functional in a resource-limited environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Adriana Barrientos)
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At the request of the Ministry of Health, the LAMAT team focused on providing essential dental care and hygiene education to the island’s community, addressing the ongoing challenges faced by Union Island residents in the aftermath of the disaster.

In an environment where routine dental care is scarce, the team delivered critical services, including teeth cleanings, oral exams, and dental hygiene education. This mission ensured that residents received preventive care vital to their long-term oral health.

Beyond providing necessary treatment, the mission also gave Reserve Citizen Airmen the opportunity to enhance their skills in an austere environment, reinforcing their ability to perform effectively in any setting while sustaining operational medical readiness.

A young island resident smiles for a photo as he holds a dental hygiene kit provided by U.S. Air Force dental personnel during the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission at Celina Clouden Smart Hospital, Union Island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, March 20, 2025.

A young island resident smiles for a photo as he holds a dental hygiene kit provided by U.S. Air Force dental personnel during the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission at Celina Clouden Smart Hospital, Union Island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, March 20, 2025. LAMAT 25 provided dental care and hygiene education to local communities while enabling Reserve Citizen Airmen to sharpen their medical proficiency and military readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Adriana Barrientos)
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“One of the goals of LAMAT is gaining experience and adapting to situations we’re not used to working with,” said Col. Michael Bates, 433rd AMDS chief of dental services and dentist. “The best way to train is by real world application, and we learned a lot by getting hands-on training with local patients, from kids to adults, and using the mobile dental units for this opportunity.”

The mobile dental units enabled providers to efficiently perform cleanings and preventive care in areas where fixed dental facilities are limited, or unavailable.

“Everything that you're accustomed to seeing in a dental office from high speed suction, low speed suction and three-way syringe, is in a compact briefcase,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Joshua Antonio Moreno, 433rd AMDS dental technician. “We’ve been able to provide this capability, working alongside the dentist to continuously see patients. I know being in the dental chair can be very intimidating, so we try to ease them in.”

These units played a key role in ensuring service members maintained clinical proficiency in diverse operational settings, preparing them to respond to real-world contingencies.

Master Sgt. Brian Phan, a biomedical equipment technician from the 628th Healthcare Operations Squadron, played a crucial role in supporting the team. As the only BMET embedded with this dental team, he was essential in maintaining all medical supplies and ensuring dental equipment remained operational.

U.S. Air Force Reserve Citizen Airmen from the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission interact with local school children at Celina Clouden Smart Hospital, Union Island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, March 20, 2025.

U.S. Air Force Reserve Citizen Airmen from the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission interact with local school children at Celina Clouden Smart Hospital, Union Island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, March 20, 2025. Air Force Medical Service personnel supporting global health engagements like LAMAT gain hands-on experience, enhance medical readiness, and strengthen partnerships with allies and host nation healthcare providers. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Adriana Barrientos)
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“This mobile dental unit is meant for these types of field conditions, and ensuring our equipment is fully operational was crucial for this mission,” said Phan. “Being able to provide these services to local residents is definitely rewarding.”

Beyond clinical care, the dental teams collaborated with local providers to train and exchange best practices while reinforcing international partnerships and advancing shared medical capabilities.

“The experience collaborating with the Air Force dental team has been perfect,” said Dr. Kishron Richards, district medical officer at Celina Clouden Hospital. “It’s been really organized, and it’s been good having them around, especially post Hurricane Beryl, to do some dental work together.”

By integrating medical training with real-world patient care, LAMAT 2025 reinforced the Air Force’s commitment to global health engagement and military readiness, ensuring Reserve Citizen Airmen remain proficient, adaptable, and ready to provide care in any environment.