Members of the staff at the Productive Dentist Academy joined the nonprofit organization Barnabas Task to bring dental care to Santiago in the Dominican Republic last October. It was the fourth trip for the Productive Dentist Academy and the thirteenth for Barnabas Task, which will continue their efforts with another mission scheduled for January 16 to January 25.
“Our goal is simple,” said Victoria Peterson, CEO of the Productive Dentist Academy. “To make a positive impact on 20 million people in the world through awareness and service to others.”
During the October mission, Peterson and the rest of the team tended to patients from New Hope Girls, an organization dedicated to breaking the cycles of abuse and exploitation of young girls in the Dominican Republic. They also served members of the general community, including adults and children.
“During our week of service, we helped 341 patients, but it wasn’t about quantity. It was about quality—quality in our time with the patients, community, and our fellow team,” said Regan Robertson, president and CMO of the Productive Dentist Academy, who also volunteered for the mission.
“One of our core tenets at PDA is doing good while doing good. As a business, we actively seek out opportunities to uplift our global community. We were fortunate to align with Tom Hinton and Barnabas Task to help realize our goal on an international scale,” said Robertson.
Hinton, cofounder of Barnabas Task, says that volunteering and community service is a great way to make a difference in the world and to positively impact other people’s lives. It was his nonprofit that was responsible for organizing the event and handling logistics.
“The hallmark of Barnabas Task is that we care for people. We spend time with people. We find out why they are here. We pray for them. We build long-term relationships with them so that our impact is felt after we leave, not just during our time with them in person,” said Hinton.
“The volunteers of this mission demonstrated expertise, professionalism, and the ability to perform restorative care, extractions, and cleanings. But the significant mark they left in Santiago is that they loved people, cared for them, and built relationships,” said Hinton.
Dr. Chad Johnson, a member of the faculty at the Productive Dentist Academy and a dentist with his own practice, also was one of the volunteers on the October mission. In addition to providing dental care, he and the other volunteers presented technology and advice to professionals in the Dominican Republic. Barnabas Task dental hygienist Nancy Mann also gave a presentation about whole body health and hygiene.
“The local dentists in the Dominican wanted to know more about the latest in technology. I was able to share with them advancements in pharmacology, laser dentistry, and implementing CBCT into implant surgical design,” said Johnson.
“What excited them is that I also offered to bring my laser for demonstration the next time I am there in an effort to get them to work alongside Barnabas throughout the year at the free clinic, knowing that we would have more free technology available for them to try and use,” said Johnson.
“I also gave them samples of compounded topical, and I left them sodium bicarbonate to buffer the anesthetic, which should be a big benefit in not only making patients more comfortable, but also making dentists more efficient,” said Johnson.
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