Dentists leave their mark in Timor-Leste

Oct 25, 2024

Dentists Margaret Tran and Geoff Woodhouse and dental assistant Olivia Farrall of GV Dental Group. Photo by Megan Fisher

In August, The News spoke to dentists Geoff Woodhouse and Margaret Tran and dental assistant Olivia Farrall, who were heading to Aileu, Timor-Leste, on a volunteer venture.

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Dr Woodhouse has been providing dental care at Project Montanha for 10 years on a regular basis.

As he is retiring from dentistry in December, this was his last official visit as a dentist.

Dr Woodhouse has been an advocate for gaining interest from other dental professionals who may be able to offer dental care at Project Montanha.

In response, Dr Tran and Ms Farrall embarked on their first visit to Aileu.

They said they worked hard, but it was worth it.

“It was good and exhausting, it was a really great experience,” Ms Farrall said.

“My biggest takeaway was the connections we made.”

Dr Tran said that her biggest takeaway was the amount of work that could be done with minimal luxuries.

“You can do so much dentistry with not much. You can help so many people, and you don’t need all the fancy equipment we have here,” she said.

“You just need the bare basics, anaesthetic, your hands and a few bits and bobs, and then you are able to treat people and get them out of pain quickly.

One of the stories from their overseas trip would leave the average person writhing with nerves and pain; however, the attitude is different in Timor-Leste, the dentists said.

Dr Woodhouse shared the story of a 20-year-old young woman who needed several teeth extracted.

It was a difficult, challenging procedure, causing much trauma to the mouth and discomfort to the patient.

“It is likely those teeth had been abscessed for 10 to 15 years with no dental care available to her,” Dr Woodhouse said.

“She was so thankful and courageous and went back to work straight after, without complaint.

“She said it was a blessing to her that we had been able to help her.”

After 10 years of dedication to the Aileu community, Dr Woodhouse is optimistic his legacy will live on, if other dental staff from GV Dental Group and other locations offer their support.

“Liv and I have definitely talked about it, and we want to continue because it was nice to build relationships with those who were there, and we do feel that special connection, so we would like to go again,” Dr Tran said.

“We are not sure when that will be. Meanwhile, we are sourcing some updated equipment to help with better functioning of the small surgery.”

A total of $3500 was raised from generous donations, all of which was used to support the dental care and community needs.