For the past 6 years hundreds of Doctors have travelled overseas to take part in short term medical missions in the developing world or to work as part of a disaster response team. The Oral Health Travel Pack (OHTP) is a pre-packed assortment of 50 dental consumables and medicines designed to support dental professionals as they treat people in need.  

The present OHTP has a wholesale value of over £1,000 and has been planned with the intent of supporting a dentist undertaking a 1–2 week voluntary service opportunity. These donated medicines come directly from the manufacturers, have good dating and are of the highest quality. The sample contents list can be found here.   This is the first such pilot programme in Europe and has been made possible through a generous donation of supplies by Henry Schein.

Who can apply?

IHP has already allocated the first 35 OHTPs for distribution to a range of opportunities. For example, several are being piloted in disaster affected areas in Pakistan and Haiti. Packs have also been sent to the Amazon Hope ships run by the Vine Trust in Peru, and to dental schools in Cambodia. Individual dental surgeries are being supported in Iraq and Gambia. IHP has approached the CDF to see if they can identify 15 dentists who might be interested in taking part in this pilot programme, and using the packs overseas before the end of April 2011. IHP will only release an OHTP into the care of a qualified UK registered dentist, although in certain circumstances carriers need not be medically qualified, if they are taking packs to appropriately trained personnel overseas.

How is the programme funded?

As a pilot project, the costs of procuring and preparing the supplies have already been met.   IHP processes and vets the applications, assembles the packs and provides the necessary customs documents to the individuals. Recipients will be asked to consider making a small freewill donation to IHP (Gift Aidable) to cover the cost of couriering the pack to their UK dental surgery.

The pilot programme was concluded in November 2011 and will likely give rise to a new programme to support medical student electives.  More details will be provided in the Spring of 2012.