Amazon Hope - A Dental Student’s Experience

Before embarking on my expedition I knew of a few people who had done the expedition before who highly recommended it. However, I felt a little apprehensive as apart from some advice to bring hiking boots, I didn’t really know what to expect! A thunderstorm in Glasgow almost derailed the trip but thankfully I managed to get the last flight to Heathrow and begin my journey to the Amazon.

Upon landing in Peru, I immediately knew I made the right decision. From start to end I had such a lovely time and met loads of amazing people. The team on the boat are fantastic at their jobs and a good laugh too. Everyone was so lovely and welcoming and really made my experience what it was.

We had the unique opportunity to engage with the remote communities along the Amazon river. Most days we would be on clinic on the boat treating patients from around 8am to 5pm often travelling between villages during our breaks. We provided a wide range of dental services including discussions of prevention as well as interventive options such as fluoride varnish, cleaning, fillings and extractions. Through providing these treatments, I felt I was able to give a lot of good preventative advice and help people out of pain.

We also visited several schools in local communities to provide oral health education and topical fluoride as a means of prevention. We spoke a lot about diet and its role in keeping a healthy mouth as well as giving toothbrushing instruction. This was one of my favourite activities as the children were always very engaged and enthusiastic about what we were teaching them.

We also had the opportunity to explore Iquitos and go on walks in the jungle on our trip. It was a unique experience observing all kinds of nature and wildlife in the region. It was vastly different to back home in Scotland!

The combined costs of flights, vaccinations and the expedition were high so receiving the Dr Julia McLean Grant made a big difference to my experience. It allowed me to better concentrate on my coursework during the year without taking on additional work. I was also able to spend more time studying and preparing for the trip as a result which definitely made for a better experience.

I would highly recommend the expedition as I feel it makes a big difference to the local communities particularly those which are further from Iquitos. The provision of free treatment really helps to improve the quality of life by relieving people of their pain and engaging them in medical and dental education. I feel that this is an initiative that helps to widen access to healthcare and support under-served communities which are causes I really believe in. I’m really grateful to have had such an amazing and rewarding life experience.

- Hannah Khan