[Washington, DC - August 3, 2011]  HVO is pleased to announce the establishment of a new oral health education program in Managua, Nicaragua at the Universidad Catolica (UNICA). The medical school at UNICA was founded in 1992, but the dental program was just established three years ago and will graduate its first class of 28 in 2012.

Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America with a population of nearly 6 million people. Sixty percent of the population lives in the Pacific side of the country. UNICA's main focus is to train dentists for this population. An economically challenged country, most people do not have access to dental care. One estimate is that only 30% of the population has access to these services.

To address this need, HVO volunteers will provide support and assistance to the faculty at UNICA with the development of specialty training programs in various aspects of oral health care. General dentists, specialists and oral and maxillofacial surgeons are needed. Training will consist of both didactic and clinical components. Initial areas of focus are: endodontics, oral and maxillo-facial surgery, periodontics, and prosthodontics. Volunteers are needed for assignments of two weeks or longer.

HVO's oral health programs are sponsored by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and the American Dental Association.

A private, non-profit organization, HVO was founded in 1986 to improve global health through education. HVO designs and implements clinical and didactic education programs in child health, primary care, trauma and rehabilitation, essential surgical care, oral health, blood disorders and cancer, infectious disease, nursing education and wound management. In more than 25 resource-poor countries, HVO volunteers train, mentor and provide critical professional support to health care providers who care for the neediest populations in the most difficult of circumstances.

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