The Smiles for the Pacific team partaking in the 23rd Cook Islands Annual Health Conference has a mission to provide immediate dental care but also equipping local dental professionals with the skills and knowledge they need to sustain long-term improvements in oral health.

Led by Dr Abdul Aziz, an endodontist and the chairperson of the group, the organisation focuses on treating, teaching and training dental professionals across the Pacific Islands.

The New Zealand-based charitable organisation has been dedicated to improving dental health in the Pacific region for the past 12 to 13 years.

“Our role is to treat, teach and train the people of the Pacific region and that’s why we’re here (conference),” Dr Aziz explained.

“Where I come from, Fiji, I know how the islands in the world are like and how hard it is for our island folks to get the right treatment for whatever they require,” Dr Aziz shared.

One of the most significant innovations introduced during this visit is Silver Diamine Fluoride, a revolutionary product aimed at treating dental decay in children without the need for drilling and filling.

“It’s more like trying to paint it on, and hopefully what that does is it will arrest the decay, stops it from getting further, and it can be restored easier so it buys us a lot of time before things need to be done,” Dr Aziz explained.

In addition to dental training, the Smiles for the Pacific is eager to collaborate on broader public health initiatives.

Dr Aziz praised the Cook Islands Health Minister Rose Toki-Brown and her ministry for their efforts to reduce sugary drink consumption, noting the potential for a significant positive impact.

“I’m sure it will help partner with the Cook Islands to try and help you implement that amazing initiative that your Minister spoke perfectly about and I think that will make a big difference to begin with,” he said.

The organisation’s approach is community-centric. Rather than imposing external ideas, they aim to understand and address the specific needs of each island.

“We’d always have this mantra that we don’t go to an island to instil what we think is a good idea. We go to every island, we want to learn from you as to what’s the best that we can do to help you,” Dr Aziz explained.

During their visits, the team conducts conferences, hands-on training sessions, and practical workshops for local dentists and oral health professionals.

“This time it’s just a conference, however, we do have hands-on trainings for the dentists.”

The workshops cover a range of dental procedures, from basic dental hygiene to advanced surgical techniques.

“We have a periodontist, a gum specialist who is going to take all the dentists away and they’re going to teach them how to scale teeth and how to clean teeth properly,” Dr Aziz said.

His vision has always been to uplift and upskill the local dental workforce.

“If we can upskill them, what that will turn to is help the people of the islands so that they can actually have better oral health and the better the oral health, the better the general health,” he emphasised.

Despite the challenges of financing and resource acquisition, the Smiles for the Pacific thrives on the dedication and passion of its volunteers.

“All the people that you see, they come from different parts of the Pacific, they’re all volunteers, they paid their own way here, none of them gets paid or compensated for their time here and they love it because it comes from their hearts and that is our biggest asset.”

The annual conference which ends today is focusing on three main issues:  Oral Health – Connecting Mouth to Body; Non-Communicable Diseases – Healthy futures, and Workforce – Strengthening and Wellbeing.

Te Marae Ora Ministry of Health is hosting the conference together with the School of Dentistry and Oral Health at Fiji National University (FNU) College of Medicine, supported by World Health Organization, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and Air Rarotonga.