Renovation of the dentist’s office at the ‘school internat’ N°5 in Nikolaiev

At the time of our first visit to the ‘school internat’ (boarding school) N°5 in Nikolaiev in January 2003, the director asked us for assistance to renovate the dentist’s office of his school that serves more than 350 children and teenagers.

Although equipped with ‘professional’ dental equipment, the dentist office that we visited did not present the minimal hygiene conditions. The sterilization equipment was at the very least obsolete and ineffective and the only anesthesia used consisted of a teddy bear which the young patients had the right to squeeze hard in painful moments.
After our return, we contacted various active companies in the field and some time later we received the support of the company BienAir which agreed to donate the most expensive part: the tools. We have then, in close cooperation with the dentist, carried out an invitation to tender to buy the remainder of the equipment locally in order to ensure warranty and after-sales service of the new equipment. With great surprise we managed to buy everything for the restoration of the dentist office locally and at reasonable prices. Of course, far from the luxury of certain Western dentist’s offices, but with modern and effective tools, a sterilization and correct anesthesia.
At the end of May 2004 the dentist’s office was officially inaugurated and the first children could be treated there.
This project took a lot of time and energy, but the result is fantastic. For US $5’000 and thanks to a generous sponsor the school internat N°5 in Nikolaiev is now equipped with a dentist’s office that several private dentists in the city would wish they had!