New Zealand Herald 28 August 2019
For nearly 40 years Dr Gary Lawrence has been looking after the dental needs of people from Kāpiti. But he's also been a key part of an important aid programme treating the people of Tavenui Island, which is the third largest island in Fiji.Lawrence, who was a finalist for the New Zealand Dental Association Public Service Award for his work on the island, has been to the island five times for the Rotary Volunteer Dental Aid Project. The team, comprising four dentists from New Zealand, take along two portable dental units and two portable dental chairs, and work as a tag-team treating as many people as possible during their time on the island. "One acts as the dental assistant and one acts as the dentist, and then we just swap over," said Lawrence who has been the team leader for the past three trips. A key focus is on children in their last two years of primary school as well as a lot of emphasis on preventative care.
Photo Dr Gary Lawrence working in Fiji. Photographer David Haxton
The team performed a staggering 748 examinations with 645 restorations, 454 fissure sealants and 253 extractions in two weeks on their last visit. Dental decay was a prominent issue especially because of access to cheap sugary food and drinks. "The biggest change we've seen in the recent trip, compared to the one a few years ago, was the amount of marketing going on by Coca Cola." It's now around all of the shops.