Cusco is the capital of the region and province of the same name in the centre of the Andean Highlands in Peru. It lies at an altitude of over 3400 metres. The metropolitan area is home to over a half a million people. In the region, the lack of oral hygiene and dental care in rural areas becomes clearly evident. The causes must be attributed to a scarcity of healthy food, easy access to junk food and a lack of awareness of the associated consequences. Ivoclar Joy wishes to make a difference in these communities and improve the future prospects of children in the region by providing help on the ground.
In December 2022, the project manager Dr Tatiana Repetto-Bauckhage, Head of Universities and DSO Global Education, travelled to a village on the outskirts of the city called Marampaqui for the first time. Stony streets lead past trout and guinea pig farms to the “Centro Médico”, the health centre, which also houses a small dental practice. Local patients walk up to three hours to get medical treatment there.
As a member of the Ivoclar Joy team, Dr Tatiana Repetto-Bauckhage together with the project supervisor Dr Ezequias Rodrigues and local specialists treat learners from Cusco, Ocongate (2.5 hours away from Cusco) and from surrounding regions. As part of its commitment, the Ivoclar Joy team frequently engages with various schools to provide information, perform treatments, showcase techniques with Ivoclar products and distribute material supplies. Furthermore, in 2023, an aid campaign was jointly organized with representatives from the Ministry of Health and the “Corazón de Jesús” dental clinic as well as the National University of San Antonio Abad in Cusco.
Impressions of Peru
We are committed to enabling children to live a life free of tooth decay, reducing the number of school dropouts caused by dental pain, to ultimately improve both educational opportunities and quality of life for children.
