New Danang East Meets West dental centre opens

East Meets West (EMW), dental team plans to provide paying customers with high-quality dental services in the new centre, and use the proceeds to fund its humanitarian dental programme for disadvantaged children in central Vietnam.

The East Meets West dental centre was established under the umbrella of the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA) of Danang, an association of local businesses and nonprofit organisations. Representatives from the Danang Department of Foreign Affairs, VUSTA Danang, the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Ho Chi Minh City, local schools, orphanages, and children’s centers joined EMW for the opening ceremony.

Since 1996, the EMW Dental Programme has provided free dental services to poor and disadvantaged Vietnamese children, who otherwise have no access to dental treatment. Over the last 16 years in Vietnam, EMW has treated a total of 111,200 patients and delivered over 400,000 high quality pediatric dental services, valued at over $20 million.

Minh Chau Nguyen, EMW country director for Vietnam, stressed the significance of the new centre: “We’ve come a long way since opening our first public health dental clinic with just one dental chair. Through the support of various international and local partners and volunteers, our dental team has built the capacity to deliver top-notch dental services.  Our dedicated staff at the new center will offer fee-for-service treatment to the general public which will generate revenue to provide free dental care for disadvantaged children here in Danang and other provinces.”

Pham Kieu Da, president of VUSTA in Danang, said: “We are delighted to offer an umbrella for the opening of the East Meets West dental centre. The center will serve as a great space for international and local dental experts to exchange technical and scientific information while carrying out good works in the community, especially in the rural and mountainous areas.”

The new centre will provide quality services such as dental check-ups, fillings, extractions, fluoride treatments, and sealants. In the future, EMW hopes to add advanced services such as whitening, braces, crowns, implants, endodontics, periodontics and orthodontics.