Jamaica
Dental Mission Trip in Rural Jamaica
For over twenty years, students, faculty, and alumni from the SIUE School of Pharmacy have traveled to rural Jamaica to participate in the Jamaica Dental Mission (JDM), partnering with dentists and dental students from across the United States and Canada to provide compassionate care to underserved communities.
The JDM provides an ambulatory care-focused experience as students engage directly with patients to assess chronic disease risks, educate them on hypertension and diabetes management, and provide referrals to local healthcare providers to ensure continuity of care. Pharmacy students play a vital role by screening patients prior to dental procedures, checking blood pressure and blood glucose, dispensing medications, providing post-operative education, and optimizing medication therapies in collaboration with the dental team.
This work has a meaningful public health impact. In the past three years alone, over 1800 patients received blood pressure screenings and more than 250 had blood glucose measured, identifying hundreds with prehypertension or undiagnosed hypertension and dozens with elevated blood glucose levels, many of whom were unaware of their condition. Students develop culturally responsive education materials for patients with hypertension or diabetes and provide referrals for follow-up care to local health providers.
This immersive, week-long experience costs approximately $1600 per student and provides invaluable real-world skills in clinical screening, patient education, and interprofessional collaboration while serving communities with limited healthcare access. The JDM has been coordinated by Dr. Chris Lynch and Dr. Jenny Rosselli-Lynch since its implementation in Summer 2005.
Ready to make a difference?
For more information about the Jamaica Dental Mission Trip or to apply for future trips, please contact Dr. Chris Lynch at jalynch@siue.edu.
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