By: Melissa Ooi
During the summer of 2025, I had the wonderful opportunity to volunteer dental services abroad in Siem Reap, Cambodia. This adventure allowed me to meet with different professionals from across America who volunteered, as well as other dental and pre-dental students. My purpose for this trip was to meet new people, learn about a different culture, all the while learning more techniques in dentistry.
My role during this program was as a dental assistant. Stationed in a free clinic, students from various government schools were brought in for a check-up, with work being done as needed. Through this program, I was able to gain invaluable experience that I never would have gotten had I only stayed in America. Being a dental assistant, I worked alongside different dentists, seeing how each one worked differently, some prioritizing efficiency to see and provide care to as many students as possible, while others prioritized more personalized care, treating each patient as thoroughly as possible before admitting the next one. Working around 6 hours in the clinic each day for two weeks, I learned a variety of skills, including how to properly suction, and how to place and pack amalgam for filling cavities. Some of the dentists I worked with also taught me how to identify cavities and the chemical and biological roles of each product used on the teeth.
Other than just learning dentistry in this foreign country, I also got to experience the different cultures and landmarks in the area. I got the chance to visit Angkor Wat, the largest known temple in the world, along other previously forgotten temples. It was definitely an interesting experience, as I learned about the history of the temples, how they came to ruin, and how they gained back their significance in the country. The tour guide talked about the different rulers of the country, often providing his own interpretation of the actions and implications of different decisions. Inside many of the temples we explored, many of the buddha statues inside were nearly destroyed. What is seen inside are the reconstructed structures of what they once were. The reason for that is because of the different rulers at the time. When a new king took over, his primary religion was Hinduism, and so he ordered for all the buddhas to be destroyed and replaced. Now it is very interesting to see, since some of the temples depict both religions inside of it. The influence of both religions plays a role in the architecture of the buildings, with Hindu carvings along the walls and the bridges, with large buddha statues on the inside of the temples.
Interactions between the people in the community also taught me a lot. I got to see firsthand how the schools operated, the economy of the country, and what families prioritised, between education and getting a job. It was not something that I would have been able to see while staying in America. There were small kids, probably around 4 years old, walking around places and trying to sell stuff for their parents. It was interesting to me that our local guide told us not to purchase anything from them, not because he didn’t want to support them, but because he believed that education was more important for them, with hopes that they would see the value in education to get a better job, and use that to their advantage to provide more for their families than simply selling small trinkets like keychains.
Even in the clinic, I was able to see the difference in treatment. Many of the kids that came in didn’t know what to expect and would often cry or run out once they saw the scene before them. It took the translators a lot of explaining to convey how important oral hygiene was and why they needed it. Of course, the dentists I worked with were very patient with the kids, mindful of how scared and nervous they were. While working in the clinic, the translators were very helpful to us, teaching us how to speak a little Khmer to ease the kids’ worries.
Overall, this service trip was a very fruitful experience, as I gained knowledge about how dentistry works as a science, made connections with different dentists around the country, learned about local culture and history, and got to learn, albeit just a little, about the Khmer language. I gained new skills in the dental field and even learned a little more about interpersonal communication, being required to interact with people whose language I don’t understand or speak fluently. I know that after this experience, I would like to volunteer again in a country without as much access to dental care. I would love to have my own team of dental specialists that I would bring with me to give back to those in less fortunate circumstances and make them able to smile without feeling any pain or self-consciousness.
To learn more about volunteering in Cambodia, email Global Dental Relief at volunteer@globaldentalrelief.org, or click here to register for a trip!