Lost Boys of Sudan receive dental care at Baylor College of Dentistry

'Lost Boys of Sudan' receive dental care at BCD


		Thirty of the "Lost Boys of Sudan," a generation of Sudanese boys driven from their tribal villages by a devastating civil war between north and south Sudan, received free dental care at Baylor College of Dentistry March 16.

	Color for the temporary partial denture is chosen by matching a sample tooth to the patient's remaining teeth.

In Sudan, part of the rite of passage from childhood to adulthood for men is marked by the pulling of the lower front teeth. Because this practice is at odds with American culture, it often is difficult for cosmetic reasons for the young men to find employment in the United States. In an effort to help them transition smoothly into the American workforce, the college will provide them with temporary partial dentures.

"Transitions are hard. If this treatment makes the change from one culture to another easier, we are glad we can help," said Dr. Stanton Cobb (BCD '83), assistant professor of restorative sciences at BCD and Dallas director of the Christian Medical and Dental Associations.




	Dr. Steve Karbowski, assistant professor of restorative sciences, observes as Sam Preece (D3) takes an impression for a temporary partial denture.

The journey to America for the lost boys has been a long and harrowing one. Many of them watched as their parents were killed and their Sudanese villages burned. Boys as young as 5 years old walked a thousand miles, often hunted by lions and hyenas, in search of safety. Six- and 7-year-olds became each other's parents, tending to one another's wounds, sharing muddy water and whatever they could find to eat, and burying their dead. Approximately 4,500 of the survivors of that epic journey have been relocated to the United States, more than 100 to the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

They are supported by various national and state agencies and local churches for their first few months in the country, and then are expected to be self-sufficient.

"When you hear the stories of the lost boys of the Sudan, you realize there is more missing from these young men's lives than a few teeth," Cobb said. "Even so, replacing teeth is something that we are able to do. However small, it is a void we can fill."

Along with BCD, Colgate-Palmolive Company and Highland Park United Methodist Church contributed to this project.

Two Dallas television stations came to the college to report this news. Channels 4 and 8 aired their reports March 16; TXCN, Channel 8's sister station, aired the story all day March 17.

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