Cambodian translator Ly Rachana (right) talks with a dental patient as U.S. Public Health Service Reserve Capt. (Dr.) Charles Craft provides a local anesthetic.

Cambodian translator Ly Rachana discusses a dental patient’s treatment with Capt. (Dr.) Charles Craft.

“As a team – including the Khmer doctors and nurses – everyone is upbeat and helping out despite the long working hours and the high heat,” said Lt. Col. Duong. “In the evening, I think team members are feeling very positive about what they’ve done during the day,” she said. While the BRAVA team’s Air Force, Army, and Navy members had never worked together, Lt. Col. Duong said, “It’s going so smoothly that we have been able to take on additional standby cases in the surgical unit.”

“The type of surgery we do, the non-government organization we are working with has no permission to do in Cambodia. If we weren’t here some of the patients would be living in a dysfunctional condition or in pain,” said Lt. Col. Duong. Some patients traveled more than 350 kilometers to see a doctor.

Dental Care
U.S. Public Health Service Reserve Capt. (Dr.) Charles Craft’s dental clinic in a small hospital compound saw more than 437 patients. “We’re mostly doing emergency dental care, which is treating what we call acute pain or chronic infections,” he said. “Most people require multiple extractions. In many cases we are removing entire quadrants of teeth, which means three of four teeth at a time,” said Capt. Craft. “You normally don’t do that, but here there are no private or government dentists so they don’t have access to care. When they have a tooth removed it’s a very painful and frightening experience,” he said. “People here have deep-seated fears about seeing a dentist. They believe that they can go blind, or can die because of local myths about dentists.”

The husband of a woman injured in a propane tank explosion listens as U.S. Air Force Air National Guard Lt. Col. (Dr.) Jim Walter (right) explains through interpreter U.S. Air Force Maj. Vira Em the treatment the injured woman will receive.

Capt. Craft overcame those misconceptions using his Cambodian translator, Ly Rachana, “to explain the procedures, demonstrate that it’s painless, and provide some compassion. Through that, we earn their trust, and we’re seeing some patients again,” said Capt. Craft.

Watching Capt. Craft work was like watching an assembly line with an audience. Patients came into the small clinic, filled out some paperwork, and waited as he worked in the lobby. Behind his dental chair, the window typically filled with curious patients trying to gauge the possible pain they may endure. “Most can see what’s going on inside, and so it relieves their fears a little bit,” said U.S. Army SSgt. Nicole D. Marchan, a dental hygienist.

Children soon realized that if they stop by the hospital in the afternoon they were sure to receive a treat. These included coloring books, lollipops, toys and clothes. U.S. Air Force MSgt. Rita Greiner handed out lollipops to some 200 children. “I brought one entire suitcase here filled with items just for the kids,” she said, “to make every child think they are important.” Other donations included about 1,500 toys, children’s clothes and shoes, and medical reference and veterinarian books.