“Bright Smiles in Costa Rica” by Nickie Reitz

Dr. Frank Fruce, a Fulton dentist, recently visited San Carlos, Costa Rica for a volunteer trip.
Fruce heard of the opportunity from one of his patients, Vivian Summerville, a Methodist minister who had previously taken a mission trip in San Carlos, a small village two hours north of San Jose.
Fruce visited Summerville’s home in the summer of 2010 and met with a couple

in their 80s, Ralph and Mary Miller of Penn Yan, who built a school in Costa Rica 55 years ago.
Fruce, who had never participated in a mission trip before, flew to Costa Rica Feb. 18 for five days and performed dental work free of cost to elementary children in grades kindergarten to sixth.

Over the course of three days, Fruce served 120 children in the clinic, seeing 80 percent of the Methodist school’s population.

Fruce stayed with an older woman, Sylvia, who had five daughters. During his stay, Sylvia cooked Fruce traditional meals, such as beans and rice, and gave them a tour of their backyard, which grew guava plants and sugar cane. Besides his summer clothing, Fruce brought with him a bag filled with toothbrushes, one for each of the students, some who were accustomed to sharing their toothbrushes amongst family members.

Fruce also brought over fluoride varnish and dental sealants for his patients. In setting up the clinic, Fruce borrowed a portable compressor for suction and air and two portable dental chairs from the San Jose Kiwanis Club.

Fruce gave each student in the clinic cleaning and sealed permanent teeth. Several children had cavities, which Fruce was able to extract.

Many students seen at the clinic hadn’t visited a dentist in a while, including the school’s principal, who waited two months to get her own front tooth fixed. “Costa Ricans do have some access to professional dental care, but the cost of a lot of beneficial treatments are too expensive because their cost of living is much lower than ours and a lot of dental supplies are made here in the states,” said Fruce.

Fruce was humbled by the gratitude he received from his young patients.

“It’s rewarding to be able to connect with young children from another country and how something as simple as a facial expression can translate across borders,” he said. “They were really happy to receive beneficial health care that they hadn’t really had before, and that makes me feel great.”

Fruce talked with students about Fulton and a few said they wanted to visit.

“Who knows, we may have a foreign exchange student come here from Costa Rica someday,” said Fruce.

After this experience, Fruce looks forward to visiting another country, possibly Guatemala, as soon as he can. On his next trip he would like to bring along his 16-year-old daughter, so that she can see firsthand how other people live. 

 The Valley News Vol. LXIV –NO.21

Saturday, March 12, 2011