WEBVTT 00:00.439 --> 00:03.009 Hi , my name is Major Frederick Dawson . 00:03.130 --> 00:05.880 I am assigned to the 30th Medical 00:05.889 --> 00:07.722 Brigade and I am a comprehensive 00:07.722 --> 00:09.611 dentist here for the medex Dental 00:09.611 --> 00:11.556 Health is something that we should 00:11.556 --> 00:13.899 always prioritize . The typically , I 00:13.909 --> 00:15.853 think in medicine and society , we 00:15.853 --> 00:18.559 think of the teeth as an isolated 00:18.590 --> 00:21.120 compartment within the body . But our 00:21.129 --> 00:23.350 dental health is tightly connected to 00:23.360 --> 00:26.030 our overall metabolic health , our 00:26.040 --> 00:28.540 cardiovascular health uh as well as our 00:28.549 --> 00:31.309 immune health . Dentistry is not a 00:31.319 --> 00:33.759 vacuum . I'm 1/4 generation dentist in 00:33.770 --> 00:35.659 the United States . So I know how 00:35.659 --> 00:38.080 dentistry is done in the United States . 00:38.349 --> 00:41.080 Uh but dentistry varies from culture 00:41.090 --> 00:43.880 around the world . Um and even in the 00:43.889 --> 00:46.111 United States , not every dentist likes 00:46.111 --> 00:48.111 to do things the same way . So it's 00:48.111 --> 00:50.430 always a good idea wherever you are to 00:50.439 --> 00:53.549 exchange practices , techniques , 00:54.000 --> 00:56.840 experience with anyone . And so I think 00:56.849 --> 00:58.960 that's especially true if we have the 00:58.960 --> 01:00.960 opportunity and the capabilities to 01:00.960 --> 01:02.905 exchange ideas , exchange skills , 01:02.905 --> 01:04.960 particularly with an allied nation . 01:07.349 --> 01:09.460 So the teeth are tightly connected to 01:09.460 --> 01:11.571 everything , they're connected to our 01:11.571 --> 01:13.905 bodies , they're connected to our smile . 01:13.905 --> 01:16.071 And if you can improve somebody's pain 01:16.071 --> 01:18.127 experience , so they're no longer in 01:18.127 --> 01:17.800 pain if they're having pain from their 01:17.809 --> 01:19.642 teeth , if you can improve their 01:19.642 --> 01:21.865 confidence and their smile , um that is 01:21.865 --> 01:24.198 can improve their well being their self , 01:24.198 --> 01:26.031 uh their self esteem . Um And so 01:26.031 --> 01:28.089 anytime uh we can prioritize dental 01:28.099 --> 01:30.321 health , uh I think that is a great way 01:30.321 --> 01:33.419 of fostering relationships . I am over 01:33.430 --> 01:35.139 overwhelmed with uh positive 01:35.150 --> 01:37.940 experiences from um my partnership with 01:37.949 --> 01:40.319 the Burundi military and the Burundi 01:40.330 --> 01:42.552 medical providers that I've experienced 01:42.552 --> 01:44.108 here . They're high quality 01:44.108 --> 01:46.108 professionals . They have a very uh 01:46.108 --> 01:47.941 dedicated sense of duty to their 01:47.941 --> 01:49.997 patients um to provide them the best 01:49.997 --> 01:52.219 quality care . I think that's universal 01:52.219 --> 01:54.274 for a lot of medical professionals , 01:54.274 --> 01:56.441 but it is no less true here than it is 01:56.441 --> 01:58.608 anywhere else in the world . It's easy 01:58.608 --> 02:00.608 when you do dentistry to get into a 02:00.608 --> 02:02.719 comfort zone . I like to do dentistry 02:02.719 --> 02:04.830 my way . I like to do it the way I've 02:04.830 --> 02:06.997 done it and that I'm comfortable doing 02:06.997 --> 02:09.219 it . Uh One of the things about being a 02:09.219 --> 02:11.386 military provider , a military dentist 02:11.386 --> 02:13.552 is I'm going to be put into situations 02:13.552 --> 02:15.608 where I need to be out of my comfort 02:15.608 --> 02:17.497 zone and that's something that is 02:17.497 --> 02:19.219 difficult to willingly do . So 02:19.219 --> 02:21.274 opportunities like this to go into a 02:21.274 --> 02:23.330 new environment , a new culture with 02:23.330 --> 02:25.386 new instruments , new materials is a 02:25.386 --> 02:27.608 great way to push my skills and I think 02:27.608 --> 02:29.830 prepare us for the future fight so that 02:29.830 --> 02:31.997 our soldiers , our airmen , our troops 02:31.997 --> 02:34.679 are better prepared for uh to have high 02:34.690 --> 02:36.746 quality and old care , regardless of 02:36.746 --> 02:38.912 it's in garrison or in the field or on 02:38.912 --> 02:39.529 the battlefront .