The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Southern Asia-Pacific Division partnered with various government agencies to hold a pioneering event for the Oral Health Caravan, a dental mission that promoted dental health and hygiene. The event took place in the Philippines at Florence Kern Auditorium in Mountain View College during the 2024 Division-Wide Congress.

Several government agencies joined forces to support the Adventist Church's initiative to promote dental healthcare at the congress, which attracted thousands of attendees. The Office of Senator Imee Marcos, the Department of Health, the Philippine Dental Association of Bukidnon, the City Health Office of Valencia, and the Provincial Health Office of Bukidnon actively participated in the campaign. By addressing the dental health needs of the congress delegates, the church demonstrated its commitment to enhancing the health and well-being of its members.

Attendees received free dental health services like free consultation and free oral cleaning. Over 1700 individuals received an Oral Health Family package consisting of 3 adult toothbrushes, 3 children’s toothbrushes, 1 foam-style fluoride toothpaste for children, 1 tube of fluoride toothpaste for adults, and 2 germicidal soaps. An oral health education also happened, featuring a demonstration of proper brushing and flossing techniques and the effects of diet on oral health.

There is a common misconception that dental missions focus solely on tooth extraction. However, many dental outreach programs lack adequate instruments and proper sterilization, posing significant risks for infections. To address these concerns, the Department of Health has introduced a new nationwide oral health care goal: ensuring individuals have twenty healthy teeth by the age of 70.

“We are trying to implement more education and consultation so that they will take care of their teeth by themselves and know how to do it themselves,” said Dr. Kris Edward Sta Ana, Region Ten's Oral Health program coordinator in the South Philippines.

“I feel blessed to be one of the recipients of this oral health kit since this is a very rare event for us to receive this for free,” said Meraluna Tubo, one of the attendees.

The original article was published on the Southern Asia Pacific Division website.