Smiles all round as dentist treats Chernobyl orphans
Six teenagers from an orphanage in the region most affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster have had their teeth fixed by a Galway dentist during their month-long visit here.
Dr Brian Delgado at Gate Dental donated the six hours he took to carry out the work on the youths aged between 13 and 17 while his parent company, Bupa Dental Care, donated a nurse and the equipment.
Two of the girls had great teeth, others required simple fillings while two of them needed extensive restoration work.
“For the two most serious cases, it seems they had a lot of temporary fillings and they just became a problem over time. I must say I found it very strange that two of them were absolutely fine – one had a beautiful set of teeth – and yet they stay in the same orphanage,” he remarked.
“I would imagine they have the same diet although I don’t know when they were taken into the orphanage.”
The dentist said he could not see any discernible difference in the dental health of these youths and his young patients in Galway.
However, he did find they were much better behaved than local teenagers.
“One of the 14-year-olds had got up at 6am one morning to prepare for a picnic they were having that day in Salthill – and this was off her own bat, nobody asked her to do anything.
“Apparently they keep their rooms in military-style order with their clothes all folded – I wouldn’t like to assume what they have to go through in the orphanage to be that tidy.”
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
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