There is no question that providing access to basic healthcare services is one of the most pressing issues in the world today; even more so in African countries. According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Burundi is one of the least developed countries in the world when it comes to life expectancy, literacy, and per capita (Lamloum et al., 2023). It ranks 187th out of 189th (Lamloum et al., 2023). Due to the financial burdens and the scarce economic resources, the public health system is fragmented. Oral health is considered a “public health problem” to be addressed, however, there are many limitations that have affected the nation’s solution to this problem. Without properly addressing healthcare issues, specifically oral healthcare issues, caries prevalence will increase adding to the already disproportionate numbers of tooth decay, periodontitis, mouth ulcers, and other dental problems. This is why we have chosen to bring our mission to Burundi. 

The Republic of Burundi, Africa is a country in east Africa that can be found just south of Rwanda, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and bordered by Tanzania to the west. Burundi is situated in the African Great Lakes Region and is best known for its national parks, coffee, and tea. Our team, consisting of Dentists, registered dental hygienists, dental assistants,  dental students, and dental hygiene students were invited to provide care to communities in Burundi. As a team of healthcare professionals, we aim to provide the needed support and advocacy to aid in the promotion of education, the prevention of oral diseases, and the overall improvement of oral care. 

Citation: Lamloum D, Dettori M, La Corte P, Agnoli MR, Cappai A, Viarchi A, Arghittu A, Wolf TG, Castiglia P, Campus G. Oral Health Survey in Burundi; Evaluation of the Caries Experience in Schoolchildren Using the DMFT Index. Medicina (Kaunas). 2023 Aug 25;59(9):1538. doi: 10.3390/medicina59091538. PMID: 37763657; PMCID: PMC10535420