The previous blog post was all about teaching oral hygiene directly to kids in the schools, but Charlie and I also had the opportunity to have a class with 8 local teachers. The purpose of the lesson was to show the teachers how to train their students in proper care of the teeth and also to answer any questions they may have for themselves. Most of the questions were standard things dental people hear everywhere, including tooth sensitivity, whitening advice, healthy diet, etc. But there was one question I may never forget... Through Charlie my interpreter, this teacher said that her 80 year old mother has all 32 teeth, something virtually unheard of in the Malagasy population. The supposed secret to the older woman's success is a local remedy for toothpaste: Start by grinding charcoal into a powder (which, by itself is a legit substitute for toothpaste in developing countries) and then find a nice dried lump of COW MANURE and grind that into powder as well. Mix the two tasty powders and rub the combination on teeth with a finger...and you will keep your teeth for the rest of your life. So the teacher asked me if this was true. Unfortunately, I have never heard of or tried this particular local remedy myself, and especially not for 80 years, so I couldn't say for sure that it doesn't work... However, my attempt at a diplomatic answer was that using a store bought toothbrush and toothpaste would probably be more effective. Although we may never know... Any volunteers out there willing to test an all natural charcoal/manure blend toothpaste for effectiveness in saving teeth???
Teacher training
Charlie's helpful English translation of questions
