Ep 146: Dental Care Without Borders: Reaching Refugees and People with Disabilities

Dr. Aws Faidy, a general dentist from northern Iraq, discusses his work providing oral health care and education to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs), refugees, and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Dr. Faidy explains how he conducts community-based dental awareness campaigns, hands-on checkups, and follow-up care—often in refugee camps—while emphasizing patience, trust-building, and adaptive techniques when treating patients with IDDs. He describes large-scale projects that combine education, preventive treatments like fluoride varnish, and free referrals for advanced care, reaching over 1,200 children with measurable improvements in oral health awareness. The conversation highlights systemic challenges in access to dental care for vulnerable populations, contrasts practices in Iraq with those in the United States, and underscores the importance of empathy, ethical responsibility, and global collaboration to improve oral health equity.