Employees take the initiative to improve oral health in their regions
Readers of the previous issue of Spotlight got a sample of the Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives in which the Company and its employees were engaged in 2018. This article takes a close look at two such ongoing projects in Belgium and Taiwan.
As an international company with employees and customers all over the world, Dentsply Sirona is committed to the development, health and wellbeing of its employees and the communities in which they live and work. This statement is built into the Company’s Corporate Social Responsibility Platform. Employees at individual locations have the opportunity to develop their own ideas for how to tailor their efforts to best support the needs of the local community or region.
Research Developer Peter Vanden Berghe educating local children about oral health care.
Bringing dental care to a community health center
In 2018, Pieter De Ceuninck, Director Corporate Software R&D (now Digital Product Group) began searching for opportunities where Dentsply Sirona and its employees in Belgium could give back to local communities. “The goal was to find a project that could connect employees to the medical aspect of their work,” said Pieter. The Company got in touch with a local health organization called De Central in Leuven. De Central is a neighborhood health center that aims to help people with limited possibilities of getting medical care. The organization focuses heavily on education, prevention and basic treatment. They have a doctor on location who is a general practitioner but with the support of Dentsply Sirona, there’s now a dental office in the same building making it very easy for the doctor to refer patients to the dentist.
Once word of the cooperation spread, additional colleagues quickly joined the effort, including Richard Althelmig, Commercial Director, Benelux. The Benelux commercial organization committed to supplying all the raw materials needed for five years to provide the most urgent care – typically preventive and restorative – at no charge, for a full-time dentist. Dentsply Sirona is helping to develop a communications campaign to attract more area dentists to participate in the social project. Having regular access to dental services will have a major impact on the patients of De Central who often require special care.
It’s incredibly rewarding for colleagues to see and feel what dentistry means to people, particularly those who are less fortunate.”
Employees also have opportunities to contribute directly too by assisting in the education of young children and parents about basic dental care. The office continues to find additional ways in which employees can deploy their skills, for example, through language proficiency, graphical design, logistical expertise and by volunteering on special screening days for patients.
Educational campaign promoting oral hygiene in Taiwan
Despite good coverage from the national health insurance, the importance of oral hygiene is often overlooked among the general public. The colleagues at Dentsply Sirona Taiwan determined this is due to a lack of education on the subject and therefore set out to build a campaign to raise awareness.
The team decided that the campaign would focus on the 88 community universities in Taiwan at which most students are older – typically 40 to 60 years old. An external party helped to arrange contact with the universities to discuss adding an oral lecture into their curricula. Dentsply Sirona provides the speaker, lecture materials, and a small item such as a toothbrush or toothpaste.
To date, 18 events with an average of 50 people at each were conducted in 2018, and another 20 events are planned for this year based on the positive feedback of the participants.
Impressions of the educational campaign in Taiwan
Attendees of ZhongZheng community university trying out the lecture materials at the oral health class in TaoYuan, Taiwan.
Chris Yip, General Manager, DS Taiwan, receiving the letter of appreciation from the National Association for the Promotion of Community Universities (NAPCU) from Mr. Yang, Zhi-Bin, General Secretary.