In late November 2016, myself and six dental students from the University of Melbourne came together with the purpose of providing dental care to rural cambodian villagers who were otherwise without access. We were to travel to a small village called Oudong, in Kampong Speu every day, setting up 7 lounger-turn-dental-chairs in a local church to provide for many, what would be their first dental experience. 

Having arrived one day prior, the team and I had been briefed, orientated and were ready to go at 7am. It was then that we began to learn of Cambodian life and the struggles we would encounter in the week to come. After a miscommunication, we were directed down some of the bumpiest flooded dirt ‘roads’ I’d ever seen. The 35km journey took us three hours to navigate in our fifteen seater van. On arrival, we set up dental chairs according to three levels of intervention. Level 1, initial exams and providing treatment possible without restorative instruments. Level 2, exodontia and restoration by with restorative hand instruments, without any rotary drils. Level 3, restoration requiring rotary instrumentation. Many children had decay in all their teeth - some of whom had cycled over an hour, alone at six years old, to get here. As I stared directly at the pulp chamber in many, these brave kids were adamant, “no pain”. With the limited availability of resources in Cambodia, selecting the two or three teeth ‘deserving’ of intervention was tough. It was a constant juggle of decay, pulpitis, tooth prognosis, and the need of the tooth for space maintenance in these very young children.

 I hope to one day travel back to Cambodia as there is still so much to be done.