Dentists bring smiles to Hospital del Nino

By Margot Thomas

HUNDREDS of government-clinic dentists used to spending  long hours hunched over  a  dental chair carrying on a one-sided conversation as they work on restorations and extractions, took time on a recent early Sunday morning to kick off Dental Week with a four km hike around Parque Omar and  a chance to catch up on  the past year with  colleagues from across Panama province.

It was the start of a multi-faceted operation designed to draw attention to the importance of dental care.

But, among the many activities that stands out each year is the  choosing of a “Queen” and her consort  from among the patients in the Hospital del Nino.

The event takes place   in the auditorium packed with tiny patients, many recovering from or in the midst of extended treatment for serious injuries or health problems. With them are hospital caregivers who have helped contestants prepare for the selection process with the creation of costumes, and have encouraged others with their submissions in an art contest, focused, of course, on dental care.

Armed with balloons, and rattles the support teams keep up their rallying cries while the contestants recite their memorized messages, with bravado aplomb nervousness  and even  the occasional tear when a word or two s are missed, but there’s always a prompter  on standby and, in  an event where everyone’s a winner with, movies, entertainment from a clown and prizes for all, tears are soon replaced with smiles… the final prize for the dental organizers.