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Dental World®
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July/August • 2002
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PIERRE FAUCHARD ACADEMY
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| One Section Chairman’s Program...cont'd |
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This year, Dr. Bertram Moldauer launched a huge program, funded by himself in the name of PFA, Nova Southeastern Florida University Dental School in Ft. Lauderdale, the Guatemala Public Health Service, and the Knights of Malta. The program covered several cities and villages in providing everything from top-of-the-line dental care in the cities to pioneer dentistry in the up-mountain villages. The organization was astounding, with all segments being kept in contact with the Moldauer family by cell phones.
Participating in this enormous venture was your Editor James Brophy and PFA photographer Shirley Brophy (at their own expense), the entire six-member Moldauer family and their friends, Nova Southeastern Florida Endodontic Chairman Sergio Kuttler, faculty Jim Satovsky, and two of his endo graduate students—Taras Roud of the Ukraine and Raphael Garofalo of Canada, Francisco Marroquin University dental students—and Dr. Charles Mandel, an implantologist. We even had a Jesuit priest, Fr. Dickman, to insure the program’s success (and be the first patient). Most of us arrived Friday, 3 May 2002 to the “Land of Eternal Spring” where we were met by Dr. and Mrs. Moldauer at the Guatemala City airport. To get everyone acquainted for the project, Dr. Moldauer had us up at 5 am and whisked off to Flores, in the northern Guatemala Peten area, to tour the magnificent ancient Maya ruins at Tikal. There is nothing like an all-day tour, climbing to the top of tall temples, to unite a crew. On Sunday, we toured the capitol, Guatemala City, which is in the south central part of the country. The city was like any city in the United States with McDonald’s, Burger King, tall buildings, traffic jams, fine suburbs, and slums. Lunch was held at the suburban home of dental student Gina Cozzarelli, fiancée of Dr. Ivan Moldauer, where the last of the program’s participants arrived.  Guatemala City |
Then it was off to Antigua, about 65 km away, to check into the “Hotel of Dreams” or La Casa de Los Suenos. Antigua was the second capitol before the volcano erupted in the early 1700s and buried the first level of homes. When it was to be rebuilt years later, the older section was to be maintained with its cobblestone streets and Spanish exterior motif. But inside that façade were housed five-star tourist hotels, while many peasants slept in the old ruins that were not yet restored. The first capitol had also been buried years earlier. Upon arrival and check-in, the Nova group went to the Central Public Health Clinic to set up their million dollars of equipment and calibrate it. Shirley and Jim Brophy went with Knight of Malta Carlos Krafka to tour the Hermano Pedro Clinic and met with the Franciscan priests and sisters who take in the sick and ailing. It was heart-wrenching to see the little babies with so many cleft palates that are left at the clinic door with no names, no records, nothing, by their indigent parents that cannot care for them. The Knights of Malta and the city of Antigua are trying to help with the limited funds they can raise. The clinic needs 72 more wheelchairs to help their elderly patients. On Sunday evening, the group met for a kickoff dinner at the hotel. We were given our assignments for the week. We met the Guatemala government leaders of health, the retired Israeli commandoes that provided security, the local leaders of the Knights of Malta, and all the program participants.  Hermano Pedro Clinic |
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Hermano Pedro Clinic Needs Your Help If any of our Fellows or their families have an unused wheelchair or walker, please send it to the Hermano Pedro Clinic, 6a. Calle Oriente No. 20 La Antigua, Guatemala, Central America. Check them out at their Web site www.c.net.gt/Hpedro. Or send to Editor Brophy at 931 Glen Flora, Waukegan, IL 60085, USA, for forwarding. This July, the Pope will travel to this clinic to confer sainthood on Hermano Pedro as the first saint of Central America. Your contribution will share in the sainted work this man began and is the only lifeline to many so poor that they must give up their children. There are many causes asking for your help, but I have personally seen the poverty and problems that only this Clinic can handle in the area. I would not make this personal appeal if I were not truly shaken by the absolute need these people have. When I left the clinic after touring it, I emptied my wallet into the hands of the nun who showed us around. Thank God for plastic after that. |
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| One Section Chairman’s Program...cont'd |
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 L-R, Drs. Brophy, Kuttler, Roud, Garofalo, Ivan Moldauer, and student Gina Cozzarelli Photographer Shirley and Editor Jim Brophy were sent up the mountain to a small free health clinic in Cuidad Veija “to pull teeth.” The natives spoke no English (or German either); we had no translator, but a very enthusiastic 16-year-old assistant who we drew pictures for of the instruments we needed; which did not matter because they had very little anyway. Four forceps, two elevators, three syringes, no x-ray machine, no air conditioning or fan, and no asepsis, five useless Potts elevators, and a few mirrors and explorers were all we could come up with.  Cuidad Veija Clinic Most everyone was assigned to the Antigua Central Public Health Clinic to perform oral surgeries and apioectomies. They were written up in the local newspapers. |
 Central Public Clinic  L-R, Student Gina Cozzarelli, Drs. Raphael Garofalo and Sergio Kuttler, and student Mitzi Moldauer  Editor Brophy working on a patient |
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| One Section Chairman’s Program...cont'd |
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When the Director of the Guatemala Dental Health visited us, he explained that they had cut his Q200,000 budget (about $27,000) in half for this year for the entire country. He depended on volunteers from other countries to pay their own expenses to serve the needs of the Guatemala poor. Dr. Bertram Moldauer, his classmate, was a leader in doing these dental programs.
We extracted more than 70 teeth that week. And Photographer/Chemist Shirley Brophy was given a brief course on cleaning and fluoridating teeth, which she applied to some 34 local school students. Down in the valley, the Nova team was performing some of the most sophisticated surgeries in dentistry with the most updated equipment and technology available. In late afternoon, back at the hotel, area dentists from Guatemala City and Antigua gathered for two-hour slide lectures from the Nova team. Fortunately for me, the slides were in English, but the lectures were in Spanish. Attendance was about 30 for each afternoon’s lecture. When Dr. Charles Mandel, an implantologist, came in, he gave a six-hour lecture to the students and faculty at the Francisco Marroquin University Dental School in Guatemala City, then drove out to Antigua for another hour and a half lecture to the dentists there.  L-R, Drs. Bertram Moldauer, Taras Roud, and Ivan Moldauer  Nova Endo Chairman Sergio Kuttler giving afternoon lecture |
On Wednesday evening, we all were driven back to Guatemala City to attend the Graduation Ceremonies of the Universidad Francisco Marroquin Facultad de Odontologia. The University was impressive, as were the Ceremonies, where dental student Mitzi Moldauer received the top award for being the best dental student in her year again (the third year in a row). PFA was mentioned as attending the Ceremony by the Dean, and we all were introduced. In the reception that followed, Dr. Moldauer button-holed every faculty member to join PFA. Mitzi Moldauer receiving top student award at Graduation Ceremonies  Graduation ceremony reception with entire Moldauer family and program participants On Thursday evening, we attended a reception given by La Asociacion Guatemalteca de Caballeros de la Orden de Malta (the Knights of Malta), where we were presented Recognition Certificates for our volunteer efforts and thanked personally by Antigua Mayor Carlos Garcia Mendez. PFA was included in the appreciation speech as a sponsor through the efforts of the Drs. Moldauer.
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| One Section Chairman’s Program...cont'd |
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 L-R, Dr. Moldauer, Knight Carlos Krafka, Dr. Kuttler receiving Knights of Malta Award On Friday afternoon, the government held a late luncheon (3 pm) to honor us all with Certificates for our participation in the week’s program. In attendance on behalf of the President of Guatemala were the Minister of Health, Dr. Francisco Bermudez Vila, and the Director of the Dental Public Health, Dr. Roberto Wehnke, and several other minor officials. All the program participants were honored until the end when the government presented a plaque to the Pierre Fauchard Academy for its help. We were then enlisted on the government rolls to come back and practice volunteer dentistry in the future and given customs clearance for bringing in our own instruments.  L-R, Attorney Mrs. Yolanda Moldauer, Dr. Moldauer, Editor Brophy receiving government plaque for PFA from Guatemala Minister of Health Dr. Francisco Bermudez Dr. Sergio Kuttler, on behalf of Nova Dental School, signed a mutual support agreement with the Guatemala Health Ministers to allow further Nova Programs in their country. |
 L-R, Drs. Kuttler, Moldauer, Health Minister Bermudez, and Dental Health Minister Roberto Wehnke signing accords with Nova PFA Chairman Moldauer was glowing. The program he had worked so long and hard to put together came off successfully beyond his expectations. But in doing so, he bonded his entire family to us all. At his Saturday Mother’s Day evening dinner in Guatemala City, he told us to make plans for coming back next year when we go to Belize for a similar program. Your Editor and an archeologist in Belize signed up immediately.  PFA Chairman Bertram Moldauer addressing dinner about his next PFA dental program This is the type of program that just one Chairman’s family put on with a few volunteers that helped so many. What are you and your Chairman doing this year? |
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