Page 19 - ICD Newsletter November 2021 Final Draft_Neat

the COVID-19 pandemic has severely limited and the Head of PNG Dental Services. Len Crocombe
treatment that can be given. and Mahmood Siddiqi have since held discussions
with the Queensland Cancer Control Information
Although COVID has also limited the clinical Manager about Cancer Registry software. The PNG
experience students can receive, the Dental District Cancer Registry will be under the auspices of the
under the oversight of Fellow Mahmood Siddiqi has Port Moresby General Hospital and the PNG School
ensured that the dental students at PNG University of Medicine and Health Sciences.
have received a good education and a broad range
of clinical experience. All three Graduate Diploma Len Crocombe, L.Crocombe@latrobe.edu.au
of Dentistry students received high distinctions Mahmood Siddiqi, mssiddiqi1@hotmail.com
and will go on to undertake Masters degrees. All
undergraduate students passed their dentistry
degrees, though some were required to spend more VIL GUDFALA TUT SKUL
time at the dental school to increase their exposure PROGRAM, VANUATU
to specific clinical experiences.
Mifala i brasem tut evri taem!
COVID-19 has also meant that the PNG Dental We brush our teeth everyday!
Association Conference which Section VIII usually
supports could not go ahead. Instead, Section VIII
supported implementation of video conferencing Background
facilities which have been used to conduct seminars Life can sometimes be tough for many of Vanuatu’s
and lectures by international presenters. For example, 300,000 people. Transport, communications and
Prof Ian Meyers OAM presented on restorative limited resources pose significant challenges, not to
dentistry and Dr Elizabeth Sari presented on her mention natural disasters such as tropical cyclones,
betel nut research project in Indonesia, which has earthquakes and volcanic activity which are all too
led to a similar research project being conducted in common. For example, Cyclones Pam (2015) and
PNG. The facilities will be used when the PNG Dental Harold (2020) with winds gusting over 300 km/h,
Association next holds its annual conference in Port devastated homes, crops, villages and infrastructure.
Moresby. Volcanic eruptions on the island of Tanna regularly
result in loss of water supplies and crops and the
2017 eruption on the island of Ambae (well-known
as the fictitious Bali Hai in the movie South Pacific)
caused forced evacuation and displacement of
inhabitants. Nevertheless, Ni-Vanuatu are renowned
for resilience and have invariably emerged from
disasters and maintained a high ranking in the list of
Happiest Nations!

The other area of development over the past year
is implementation of a Cancer Registry for PNG. The
plan is for the Registry to begin by recording oral
cancer. There is a high prevalence of oral cancer in
PNG, largely due to betel nut chewing. Prof Michael
McCullough from the University of Melbourne
presented to a group that included the Dean and
Deputy Dean of the PNG School of Medicine and
Health Sciences, the CEO and Director of Oral But increased sugar consumption, especially in the
Surgery of the Port Moresby General Hospital, the main urban centres, Port Vila and Luganville, threatens
Chair and Deputy Chair of the PNG Medical Board, to diminish quality of life in Ni-Vanuatu. The National

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