WVU students provide care through dental mission in Guatemala

For millions of people living in rural Guatemala, access to dental care and education is significantly limited, leading to high rates of oral disease. To help address their needs and improve well-being, students and faculty from the West Virginia University School of Dentistry visited the Central American country for a humanitarian mission during Spring Break.

Sophia Ellia, Brianna Hodak, Aashish Pokhrel and Avery Smith, students in the Doctor of Dental Surgery program, along with Dr. Chris Ivanoff, professor in the Department of Restorative Dentistry and director of global engagement, traveled to Antigua March 15-23. The group joined local volunteers for the weeklong mission to provide a range of dental services to underserved residents, including Mayan children and adults from remote villages.

“This mission was deeply rewarding, both professionally and personally,” Pokhrel, of Catonsville, Maryland, said. “To make a meaningful impact in people’s lives was why I chose to attend a dental school, and this experience reminded me of that goal. The connections I made, the gratitude I witnessed, and the smiles I helped create will stay with me for a long time. It was a powerful reminder of the impact compassionate care can have, especially in underserved communities.”

Nearly half of Guatemala’s 18 million residents live in poverty, and of those living in rural areas, which is also half of the population, the percentage of residents living in poverty often exceeds 70%.

Throughout the mission, students worked alongside dentists and other medical volunteers at the Obras Sociales del Santo Hermano Pedro hospital center to provide comprehensive care to over 125 patients, including fillings, root canals, extractions, crown and bridge procedures, and treatment for tooth decay.

“It has been my dream since I was a little kid to be able to provide dental care for those in resource-reduced regions, not only in rural America, but across the globe,” Hodak, of Spring Church, Pennsylvania, said. “I would describe my experience as ‘surreal’ because this is something that has been a goal of mine for a long time and I was finally able to do it.

“I had so many meaningful experiences on this trip. One patient said she had been having tooth pain for the last five years and that she knows the pain from the extraction will be nothing compared to how she’s been feeling. That experience was really meaningful to me because I was able to understand her perspective of what it meant to have us there.”

Pokhrel added: “Thinking about a most meaningful moment among many for me, reminds me of a case where I treated a patient who had rarely smiled. After a simple aesthetic restoration, including closing a gap and correcting a crooked tooth, her entire demeanor shifted. Her smile afterward was unforgettable.”

To make the mission possible, WVU partnered with Joy Through Service and Hands and Hearts Surgical Missions based in Buckhannon. Joy Through Service was founded by Dr. Margaret Conde (DDS ’20), who worked with her father, Dr. Kevin Conde (DDS ’83), in his dental office as a teenager and experienced the life-changing impact of oral healthcare while participating in a dental mission to Belize.

Partial financial support was provided for the students by the Overman Scholarship, Nancy Sanders Scholarship and Fogerty Scholarship awarded through WVU Health Sciences Global Engagement.

Students enrolled in the School of Dentistry have numerous opportunities to engage in global health initiatives, including the Guatemalan humanitarian mission, ERASMUS+ in Eastern Europe and Health Sciences Global Engagement programs. The experiences provide graduates with the skills necessary to practice as well-rounded, culturally competent dental professionals in a multicultural and dynamic healthcare workforce.

“This experience was life-changing and transformative in so many ways, not only for the people of Antigua, but for our students and myself,” Dr. Ivanoff said. “If I may borrow words from Winston Churchill, I will sum up the experience in the following way: ‘We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give!’ The experiences our students gain are discernibly translating to tangible skills they can bring to their practices in West Virginia and will ultimately help close the oral healthcare gap among our most vulnerable neighbors.

“Thanks to the generosity of donors who support global missions at the school, their gifts are helping to cultivate skilled dentists who are not only passionate about helping others but are culturally competent and are determined to ensure equitable access to healthcare. Our donors can be proud that this mission helped to raise passionate humanitarians and philanthropists who are making a difference in the lives of others and will continue to do so in West Virginia. Congratulations on a mission well done!”

For more information about how you can help support dentistry students on future global missions, please contact Director of Development Dee O’Palko at dopalko@wvuf.org or 304-413-5049. All gifts are made through the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University.

Photo at Top: Aashish Pokhrel, a third-year DDS student at WVU, treats a patient during a mission to Guatemala.

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jw/4/16/25

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