Staff members from the community dental health service in Liverpool have returned from a two-week trip to Tanzania where they trained African Clinical Officers to extract teeth.

Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust employees Rizwana Haq, a Dental Officer, and Liz Puzzar, a Senior Dental Health Promotion Officer, volunteered their services as part of charity Bridge2Aid's Dental Volunteer Programme.

Although 75% of Tanzania's population live in rural areas, 90% of the country's dental personnel live in cities, leaving rural people cut off from dental and general health services and often in a lot of pain. Tanzania's Rural Clinical Officers are responsible for the provision of all basic medical services in thousands of small dispensaries and health centres across Tanzania. They regularly deliver babies, give vaccinations and stitch wounds but have few skills in emergency dentistry.

'Going to Tanzania was a fabulous experience,' said Liz. 'The country was so beautiful and the people so friendly. We helped train 12 Community Officers while we were there and saw over 800 people. It felt great to be offering some real practical help which will make people's lives more comfortable.'