59th Dental Group provides care to Guyanese patients Published Aug. 20, 2009 By Senior Airman Nicole Roberts 59th Medical Wing Public Affairs LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Members of the 59th Dental Group, Wilford Hall Medical Center, participated in "New Horizons," a humanitarian mission to Guyana July 19 - 31 to give routine dental care to the locals. A team of six doctors and 14 enlisted airmen brought mobile dental equipment needed for the two week rotation to Guyana. Among the equipment taken were computers for viewing x-rays and records; specialized instruments for dental procedures and chairs and lights that otherwise would have been unavailable. On the first day alone, the team was able to see 40 Guyanese patients at the Diamond Primary School in Diamond, Guyana, and by the end of the two weeks had seen 600 patients. "The patients were very grateful and waited in line for hours to be seen," says Col. (Dr.) Raymond Hancock, director of periodontics, 59th Dental Training Squadron. "The country has a very poor infrastructure with only 30 dentists in the entire country." Everything from lab tests to medication was provided to the patients who showed up to the free clinic from Georgetown and the outlying areas. The team did cleanings, fillings, extractions, root canals and tooth repairs. This routine care is normally not available or affordable to the residents. The doctors also had a unique opportunity to lecture at the dental school while in Guyana but found there was an extreme shortage of text books. Since returning to Lackland Air Force Base, the team is organizing an effort to get text book donations from the over 1,000 dentists throughout the Air Force to send back to the Guyana's dental students. "I am extremely proud of the team for their extraordinary compassion and quality of care," says doctor Hancock. New Horizons is a $9 million exercise designed to strengthen ties with partner nations in Central and South America through combined quality of life improvement projects.