The Dental Industry and Japan Catastrophe

After the earthquake and tsunami disaster that devastated Japan, the situation is as follows:

• There are 10,036 deaths confirmed by authorities
• Almost 14,500 reported as missing
• And almost 3,000 injured

The above numbers are in conformity with the reports of the National Police Agency. However, an entire world can see that Japan makes huge efforts to rise up again.

In the dental community for example, steps have already been made to remedy the situation, and provide access to dental care for people who are in shelters.

The Japan Dental Association, immediately following the day of the great disaster (March 12th), has set up the JDA’s Earthquake Disaster Response Headquarters. Its president is Mitsuo Okubo.

The JDA started it work, and it sent out teams of dental health professionals to provide with care people who are in shelters (through mobile clinics), but it also sent out dental teams in order to help with identification of disaster victims or to survey the situation of the dental facilities and hospitals after the disaster.

The JDA then started to send out oral health care products, dental materials and devices, or hand instruments to the Iwate, Miyage or Fukushima Dental Associations.

These shipments were made possible through the help of the Government, who put at the disposal of the JDA several trucks.

It has also been reported by the Nikkei newspaper that 8 out of 9 existing dental offices in the Rikuzen-Takata city have been totally devastated by the tsunami. Even so, a team of four dental professionals were offering treatments at a shelter.

The reconstruction of Japan is made possible only because everybody gets involved after their possibilities. The dental community has truly joined forces to help out those in need of treatments, or medication from the most devastated areas.

Given the horrible events of the past week, the Japan Dental Association would like to aid the victims of the Tohoku-Pacific Ocean Earthquake by making an urgent call for donations.

You can help Japan by donating, read more: http://www.jda.or.jp/en/index.html