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In the summer of 2023, the Kotary family embarked on a 10 day trip to the Masai Mara reserve in Kenya with the goal to aid the residents of the reserve with necessary dental care.

The Maasai tribe is composed of 1,189,522 members. The Maasai reside in the mountainous rural areas of the Kenyan countryside; a lack of access to potable water, suitable shelter, and adequate medical care results in a shockingly low average life expectancy of 42 years for men and 44 years for women. There is little in the way of medical education and a near complete absence of healthcare facilities, professionals, and resources. Upon consulting members of the Maasai tribe, we learned that when someone in the community is sick or injured, there are few treatment options available. Infections are left to fester without antibiotics and viral outbreaks such as the recent Covid pandemic are especially deadly. Despite these adversities, however, the resilient Masai people maintain a strong sense of community and foster a vibrant culture.

Our trip was spent in multiple villages on the Masai Mara reserve where our mission was to provide the treatment of acute oral infections and the alleviation of oral pain for as many people as possible. Through the generosity of the West 10th Dental group, we were able to raise about $1000 toward supplies and equipment which was bolstered by our own additional donation of $20,000 to fund the trip. We had no idea what to expect concerning the conditions of living and demand for care on the reserve.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by the tribal chief and several members of the Maasai community with enthusiastic hospitality. We were shown to our tents (graciously provided at no charge by the Mara Trails Camp) and given a wonderful tour of the area and the incredible wildlife that inhabits the reserve. The Masai Mara National reserve is famous as the #1 Safari destination in the world. We were able to observe lions, cheetahs, zebras and other incredible wildlife during our visit. The trip took 26 hours in total and finally, after a much needed nights sleep, we were off to treat members of the Maasai in a small village about 30 minutes from camp. The building in which we worked acted as the primary care center on the reserve. It had no electricity, no running water, and was unsterile for a variety of reasons. Luckily we had access to a small gas stove that we were able to use to set up a steam sterilizer and we did our best—with a myriad of disinfectants—to keep the area as clean as possible. Information about the services we were offering spread and soon, a long line of patients formed at the door of the clinic. The ages of our patients ranged from two to 60 years old and we treated men, women, and children. As far as our primary dentist could tell, no dental care had ever been rendered to any of the patients that we saw. We had planned to treat up to 150 patients over the four days we were scheduled to work and brought supplies for just over that amount of patients.

On day one, we worked from 10am-5pm with a brief break for lunch. The temperature was around 84 degrees and felt like 100 in PPE (personal protective equipment) and with no air circulation. By 11am, we were soaked in sweat and each had to take multiple hydration breaks in order to keep from passing out. Black flies hovered around us, landing in our patients' mouths and on our supplies. Despite our best efforts, there was no way to maintain the level of sterility we have become accustomed to in the United States. We were fortunate to have a translator who could help us communicate with the patients, though it was difficult at times to work with the language barrier. Despite these conditions, we were able treat about 85 people on our first day. Unfortunately, we had to turn away many individuals due to our eventual lack of light and exhaustion after the long day.

The following day, we woke up at 5:30am and were treated to a wonderful game drive. We saw the most amazing landscape painted by the sun as it rose in the distant horizon. Traveling through the vast reserve, we saw an incalculable number of animals and, by 1pm, we were back at the clinic to treat the people that we were not able to care for on the previous day. We managed to see another 50 or so patients by 6pm.

On day three, we traveled to a school for children ranging from 8 to 16 years in age. The school was constructed with cinder blocks, cheap metal roofs, poor lighting, and concrete floors. There were wooden benches but no desks and no running water or electricity. The kids were happy and eager to see us, all greeting us with smiles and waves. We treated about 50 children and members of the staff until we ran low on anesthetic, gloves, and syringes. We found a small supply store about 30 minutes away and purchased the entire supply of gloves (2 boxes) along with disposable syringes and needles that were not ideal but would get the job done. We also found a vial of lidocaine. We were able to make our own anesthetic syringes in order to stretch our supplies for one more day of treatment.

On day four, we saw over 65 people until we were completely depleted of supplies. At this point, word had spread across the reserve that we were providing dental care and the demand for help was overwhelming. We were forced to turn away people who were in pain and desperately needed care, it was heartbreaking. They have no alternative dental care and we served as their only resource. They have no preventive care and use tree branches and toothpicks as their only source of daily hygiene and oral care. There is little in the way of antibiotics and other aides to treat infections and pain. When asked, "what does one do when he/she has an infection or a toothache?" A member of the Maasai replied: "he/she just lives with it."

Overall, we saw more than 300 people and extracted an estimated 400 teeth. However, our team was barely able to scratch the surface of what the Maasai tribe needs. There were numerous other villages and schools that we were unable to travel to in our limited time. Many of them asked that we return as soon as possible to continue treating the people who were still in need of care.

Our family plans to return to the Masai Mara reserve next year with a bigger group of volunteers and a greater number of supplies. Mara Smiles, was created to organize and fund annual trips that focus on supporting the Maasai community. With such limited supplies, we were able to help hundreds of people. With proper funding, we hope to improve the scope of our care. Additionally, the acquisition of appropriate equipment and multiple doctors will allow us to offer patients a better quality of care. 

We encourage anyone with a desire to help to get involved and to make a real difference in the lives of the Maasai people. Please feel free to email the Mara Smiles team with any further questions at marasmilesproject@gmail.com if you would like to be involved in the 2024 visit directly or if you feel compelled to make a larger donation.                                

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