Introduction
Due to lack of education and poverty, children in Cambodia suffer from untreated caries. In order to reduce the prevalence of caries among children, Dr Karin Jonsson provides a Mobile Dental Health Service to schools in Sihanoukville area for the past 3 years (Dec 2009)

Background
Schoolchildren suffer pain and discomfort due to untreated dental caries. Parents are unable to provide much needed oral health care and correct nutrition due to lack of knowledge, time and economic constrains.

Dr Jonsson in collaboration with Non-governmental Organizations (NGO) in the Sihanoukville area visits schools and provides much needed oral health education and care through a mobile dental health unite.

Programme Outline
Instruments, lamps, fan and other items needed are packed and checked before leaving.

Mobile Dental Care

The Mobile dental unite is transported in an auto scooter together with the Dr Jonsson and her Khmer speaking assistant Ms Bopreak.

Mobile Dental Care

Students in the school gather and wait outside the staff room which is converted into a dental clinic.

Achievements

• Oral health education and healthy eating is presented to schoolchildren.
  Nearly 30 children are examined/screened for the day.
• An average of around 200- 300 children are examined at schools every year by Dr Jonsson's team.
• ART (Atraumatic Restorative Treatment) is performed when indicated.

Mobile Dental Care

Constrains
As the activities are planned during ordinary school days, co-operation from the teacher is needed. This varies depending on the schools and attitude of the teachers. Furthermore small shops selling snacks in the premises of schools often have sweets and chips on offer.

Conclusion
Due to lack of oral health related knowledge together with financial and time constraints, often children do not receive dental education and care that they need. By taking a mobile clinic to schools and educating both the children and teachers on good oral health care and proper nutrition and providing much needed dental care services, future generations of children may not need to go through unnecessary and avoidable pain and discomfort.