Beyond the Extraction: Munaff Dental Clinic Brings Free Care to St. Joseph’s School for the Deaf

By Dawda Baldeh

In a major boost for inclusive healthcare, Munaff Dental Clinic has conducted a comprehensive free dental screening for students at St.cJoseph’s School for the Deaf.

The initiative, aimed at shifting the national mindset from tooth extraction to long-term oral preservation, will also see 20 students receive routine dental procedures at the clinic entirely free of charge.

Lamin Saidy, General Manager of Munaff Dental Clinic, emphasized that the outreach was designed to dispel the common misconception that dental care begins and ends with pulling teeth.

“In The Gambia, the only dental procedure many people know is extraction,” Saidy noted. “We are here to sensitize them on available services like root canals, fillings, and replacements. We want to educate them on preventive methods so they can avoid these problems entirely.”

Saidy highlighted that students with special needs are often overlooked in healthcare campaigns.

“These are important members of our society who must be considered. We are providing free consultations and have selected students to visit our clinic for full services without any payment.”

For dental therapist Isatou Sanneh, the mission is about more than just teeth, it is about systemic health.

She pointed out that digestion begins in the mouth, making oral hygiene the first line of defense for the body.

“Our goal is for every Gambian to keep their adult set of teeth for life,” Sanneh said. “To achieve that, we have to start at the grassroots.

We are teaching them to brush twice a day, floss, and minimize the sugar intake that creates cavities.”

The initiative was warmly welcomed by the school’s administration. Babucarr Gaye, the Vice Principal of St. Joseph’s, who has served the institution for 35 years, expressed deep gratitude for the intervention.

“This is very important because most of these students come from backgrounds where families lack the funds for dental treatment,” Gaye explained. “They have been screened and sensitized; now they know how to protect their teeth. We welcome this idea so much.”