The expedition offered students a highly valuable educational and personal experience, allowing them to place their knowledge at the service of communities with limited access to oral healthcare and to actively contribute to clinical, preventive and field-based research activities

During the mission, the team – comprised of Faculty students and teaching staff – treated a total of 648 patients, who were assessed based on age, symptoms and tooth eruption times to determine the most appropriate treatment in each case. The procedures performed included restorative and periodontal treatments, as well as minor surgical interventions.

One of the most relevant findings of this edition was the diagnosis of 145 patients with “zero cavities”, which highlights the need to further explore preventive research lines aimed at better understanding the factors which protect this population.

Based on the sample analysed, the team also proposed the development of two new field studies. The first, of an anthropological nature, will focus on analysing tooth size in the Malagasy population through the collection and measurement of extracted permanent and primary teeth. The second study will examine tooth eruption times, in efforts to establish local reference tables to enhance clinical assessment in this context.

For the students, “taking part in this solidarity mission has been a deeply enriching experience not only academically but also on a personal and human level. They have been intense days of work and learning, during which we have had the opportunity to place our knowledge at the service of children with very limited resources, helping improve their oral health and promoting prevention education.”

Along these lines, they explained that “this unforgettable experience has enabled us to grow both as future professionals and as people, to learn to work as a team in a context very different from what we’re accustomed to and to understand the true social value of our profession. We’ll take with us memories, lessons learned and experiences that will stay with us forever.”

For their part, Dr Anna Hospital and Dr Rosario Cedeño highlighted the professional opportunity that participating in a solidarity mission in Madagascar through the Edugascar programme represents. “We did so alongside a committed, compassionate and closely knit group of students, with whom we worked hand in hand to provide care to socially vulnerable communities and offer both training and dental treatment,” they noted.

“Between school classrooms, improvised clinics and the children's grateful faces, we discovered that helping also transforms those who give. This unforgettable experience has created lifelong bonds, reinforcing our commitment to teaching and volunteering,” the two lecturers added, stressing that “our mission has left a mark on many smiles and, even more so, on our hearts.”