Since 2011, IUSD has participated in immersive service learning trips to Guatemala with Dr. Odette Aguirre, faculty member and alumna of dental school in Guatemala. Familiar with the native culture, language, customs, and geography, Dr. Aguirre is a valuable resource in helping students understand important social determinants of oral health in Guatemala and make meaningful comparisons between the US and Guatemalan oral health status. IUSD students have multiple opportunities to serve in Guatemala: over spring or summer break, and more recently in late December. For one of the program locations, students provide care at the Konojel Community Clinic in the remote San Marcos La Laguna, which is a center that provides children’s programs, sustainability instruction, and women’s training programs for at-risk individuals of the area. Alternatively students spend a week at a different location near Antigua treating patients at the Open Windows Foundation, one of the region’s largest children’s center that provides local students educational services and programs to improve their life options and self-sufficiency. Both trips are co-led by Dr. Aguirre and Dr. Maria Eugenia Castillo, who is an experienced local Guatemalan dentist and faculty member at the Universidad de San Carlos dental school, so along with learning different dental procedures, students are able to gain unique insight into differences in dental education between the US and Guatemala. Along with treating patients, students also give presentations about the importance of oral hygiene and oral care to parents. Both trips emphasize the importance of collaboration in healthcare, which is achieved through performing procedures alongside local dentists and nurses. Cultural awareness is equally emphasized through educational excursions, close interaction with local villagers, and practice speaking Spanish.
