For Nicaraguan children, the tooth fairy is the dentist.

by: Carolyn K. Huynh

SEATTLE, WA – Imagine growing up in an environment where over half the population has never seen a dentist in their life. What would happen to their teeth if they have never learned how to properly care for them? For the people of Nicaragua, this just happens to be the case when it comes to dental hygiene.

Nicaragua is a very young country. About 40% of Nicaraguans are under 15 years old. Generally the rule is you start caring for your teeth at a very young age so when you grow up – they are happy and healthy. But the question is, what if you just didn’t know how? Or have the means to?

For a country that has a low economic standing such as Nicaragua (which is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere), something as simple as putting fluoride in the water seems like an easy fix to help prevention from tooth decay. In America, drinking fluoridated tap water saves you $38 from a trip to the dentist by just simply investing $1 for fluoride.

Currently, Nicaragua is not on the list of countries that have fluoridated water. Putting fluoride in tap water has been an international on-going debate for decades. Though fluoride helps teeth from decaying – it also causes fluorosis, which is a chronic condition that mottles the teeth from too much fluoride consumption. In 1997, the World Health Organization did a study on 233 communities in Nicaragua and found that 85% of children ages 6-15 had a mild diagonise of fluorosis.

However, for Nicaraguan children, having a mild case of fluorosis is the least of their dental problems. Periodontal disease and tooth decay are prevalent among people of all ages. In fact, it is common for most Nicaraguans to need several tooth extractions in one sitting. In the United States it is estimated that 20 million tooth extractions are pulled a year – mostly due for orthodontic procedures as opposed to just simply yanking them out because of tooth decay.

According to AMC (Acción Médica Cristiana), a survey was done on 570 children living in Matagalpa. Of those 570 children, 458 of them had cavities – that averages to about 4.5 cavities per child, and only one child out of the 570 children had ever seen a dentist. Unlike children in America who eagerly await the tooth fairy anytime a tooth falls out in exchange for money– Nicaraguan children are desperately in need of professional dental attention.

It seems unfair to ask a child to take better care of their teeth when there are roughly about 35 dentists scattered throughout the country. It also doesn’t help that in a world where poverty and hunger looms – children’s diets consist of sucking on sacks of sugar to temporary ease the hunger.

Instead of asking for money in exchange for teeth, thousands of Nicaraguans line up outside of clinics whenever missionaries come to help aid them with their oral problems. Some even walk for over two hours to visit dentists that come from overseas. There are also groups that come into the country to help and educate them on oral hygiene.

A group of people called 'Team Nicaragua JMU' are dedicated to assisting and fixing problems Nicaragua. Here, they are teaching a lesson in Spanish at a children's school in Nicaragua on dental hygiene:

• To find out more how you can help prevent dental disease for Nicaraguan children, go to: World Health Organization

• To see what it is like for dentists to come in and set up temporary clinics, go to: NEVOSH

Obama’s limo only had room for two

by Carolyn K. Huynh

SEATTLE, WA – Mr. President Obama took off in style after he got sworn in on January 20th to follow the parade route in D.C. to greet his fellow Americans. However, while the President was comfortable and warm in the backseat of his limo with Michelle, the rest of the estimated 1.8 million people in the crowd were forced to wander the streets aimlessly.

Minutes after Obama ended his speech, many people took off to avoid the crowds, get out of the bitter cold and to come back home to rest after a long day of standing. Little did the crowd know that earlier that day D.C. police along with the National Guard had shut down two main metro stations around the National Mall due to the massive crowds – they had little time to issue a warning of the sudden closure.

As people walked to the first station and realized it was closed, they proceeded onward to the next station – closed. Angry, cold, tired, hungry, crowds soon spilled out into the streets to walk to the next station to try their luck and see if it was open. Guards tried to keep the crowds mainly on the sidewalk but were unable to do so. I was present among the throng as well and had just flown into D.C. from Seattle the night before. Despite being exhausted, I had no choice but to walk as well.

For over two hours, the crowd was forced to walk from station to station until they could find some means of transportation to either take them home or out of the city. A couple that I was traveling with, Bill and Jessica, local residents of D.C., weren’t able to get to their apartment until hours later. “We live about 25 minutes away by taking the metro, but that 25 minute ride was stretched into two hours because they shut it down,” Bill said.

According to the A.D.C. Fire Department Release, there was a reported 500 calls to the fire department that day. They were mostly only to treat minor, non-life-threatening injuries.

The people that were the worst off were the elderly who had braved the cold and crowds to hear Obama speak. It wasn't until I read the New York Times the next morning to try and find out why the stations had closed was partially due to a 68-year-old woman that had fallen onto the tracks. She had fallen onto the tracks of the nearest metro next to the National Mall, which caused the immediate shutdown of the nearest stations - all of which were reopened several hours later. The woman is reported to be fine.

The D.C. metro system has six main stations scattered throughout the city. The three closest to the National Mall were shut down because of the woman- and the farthest station from the Mall as well as from the center of the city was the only station that was available or was rumored to be open during that day. We had no other option but to see if the rumors were true. Would we soon be on our merry way like the Obamas' as well?

It turned out that The Navy Yard - the 6th and last station stop in the metro line was available. The myth was real. Home was finally an option for everyone. No taxi had been brave enough to try to take anyone home - so our saving grace was The Navy Yard station. I had finally found a way out of D.C. and a way back to New York City and JFK.

Weary travelers were soon on their way back to their hotels/home/airport, etc. I caught a few people resting their eyes on the metro ride, thankful to rest their worn out feet - if only for a few mere minutes. I, too soon found myself basking in glee at having a somewhat comfy seat to sit on as well as the warm temperature from all the bodies inside the tram.

It certainly wasn't a limo, but after walking for more than two hours, on that 40 minute ride to Chinatown to catch the next bus to New York City, it sure felt like a million bucks.