Lisa Bayly, a graduate from our MSc Applied Dental Professional Practice programme signed up to the Smile Star Charity trip to India in February 2020.
Lisa told us: “Mitesh Badiani, a UK dentist, set up the Smile Star charity to help those that have no, or very limited, access to dental and medical care. His family founded the L.P Badiani hospital in Khambalia 10 years ago. The Badiani hospital was our first venue. The Smile Star team was made up of volunteers: 5 dentists, 1 doctor and the support team. We took our own equipment with us and set up our clinical area in the main hall using waiting room chairs and a long table. That day we saw over 180 patients.
Our second venue was Bhatia, an outreach clinic in a village 50 km from our base. Again, we set up our table and chairs in the village hall. We were inundated with patients, some who had been in pain for days or weeks due to a lack of access to local or free dental care.
Day three, however, was our most humbling experience. We set up in Karamyog school in Jam Kalyanpur and were the first Western organisation of any kind to visit this place. The welcome we received was remarkable. Hundreds of people lined up with the Dholi drummers and dancers to welcome us. Truly humbled by the hospitality, we got to work for our busiest day. During three days we saw just under 1000 patients for dental or medical care, each one grateful for the care we gave and each filling our hearts for the Indian people a little more.
I would recommend others thinking about something like this to sign up for the Smile Star charity as it is such a rewarding and humbling thing to be able to do.”
For more information please contact: www.facebook.com/SmileStarLtd/
Mitesh@badianiconsultancy.co.uk