Buying Dental Instruments

When you do not have much money, you must spend wisely. Dental instruments are very expensive, especially when you buy them at commercial prices. You may want help to find the lowest prices available to you.

The Dental Health Services Unit of AHRTAG (AHRTAG means Appropriate Health Resources and Technologies Action Group Ltd.) may be able to help. Write to them and tell them what you are doing and what you need. AHRTAG can use the information to develop the right kind of projects in other countries. In return, AHRTAG possibly can give you good advice to help you buy or make your own low-cost dental equipment. Their address is:

AHRTAG

85 Marylebone High Street

London W1M 3DE

England.

There are many organizations that collect health supplies, including dental instruments. Some prefer to help church-sponsored health projects, but others will provide instruments at reduced cost to whoever needs them. One of the best of these organizations is ECHO. They can provide any of the instruments mentioned in this book. They also sell at lower than commercial prices. For example, for the four instruments for removing teeth (excavator, elevator, upper forcep, and lower forcep), ECHO'S 1983 price is £17.98, or about 28 U.S. dollars. Write to them with a list of the instruments you need:

ECHO

4 West Street

Ewell Surrey KT17 1UL

England.

Other organizations who may be able to help are:

MAP International P.O. Box 50 Wheaton, IL 60187 U.S.A.

Operation California 336 Foothill Road Beverly Hills, CA 90210 U.S.A.

International Human Assistance

Programs 360 Park Avenue, South New York, NY 10010 U.S.A.

Direct Relief Foundation P.O. Box 30820 Santa Barbara, CA 93105 U.S.A.