Imagine a country the size of the UK with fewer dentists than you would find in a single town.
That is the reality in Liberia, where more than five million people are served by only a handful of dentists. For many people, access to dental care is almost non-existent. Tooth decay and infections often go untreated for years, leading to severe pain, disfigurement, and sometimes life-threatening complications.
For Dr. James Hunter, a dentist from the UK now working in Monrovia, helping patients like this has become part of his daily practice life. (Follow James Hunter Instagram)
James currently serves as project lead for Trinity Dental Clinic and the Liberia Dental Therapy School. The clinic provides essential treatment for patients with severe dental disease and trauma, while the training school is preparing local students to become dental therapists who will bring basic dental care back to their own communities.
Before moving to Liberia, James practised dentistry in Cornwall, where he worked with a high-end operating microscope. Transitioning to a resource-limited environment where power cuts are common was a significant change.
Fortunately, the Admetec Ergo V loupes have helped bridge that gap. Their adjustable magnification allows James to move between surgical procedures, endodontics, and routine care using the same pair of loupes, while the light provides consistent illumination even when the power supply is unreliable.
Turning Procedures into Teaching Moments
A major part of James’ work in Liberia involves teaching and training students at the only dental training facility in the country.
In the past, students trying to learn a new technique would crowd around the dental chair and try to see the procedure from behind the operator. In a small surgical field, that isn’t always easy.
The Flamingo® wireless camera has changed that. Students can now watch procedures in real time from the clinician’s perspective.
“I was incredibly excited to put the Flamingo camera to good use in Liberia, and I’ve been able to use it in far more ways than I expected,” James says. “My students can see the fine details of a technique in a way that just wouldn’t be possible if they were trying to look over my shoulder. In many ways, it allows them to see what I’m doing through my own eyes.”
Because the procedures are recorded, they can also be replayed later in the classroom. Treatments carried out during outreach trips or busy clinic days can become practical teaching material for the entire group of students.
Connecting with Specialists from Afar
The camera has also opened the door to remote collaboration.
In some cases, James has been able to record footage and share it with a colleague who is a maxillofacial surgeon. That allows them to discuss complex cases and refine treatment approaches despite being thousands of miles apart.
Recently, that collaboration helped make a particularly challenging procedure possible.
A patient who had suffered a maxillary fracture in a motorcycle accident later developed a palatal fistula. By sharing video captured through the Flamingo camera, James was able to communicate the details of the case and receive guidance that helped him successfully repair the defect.
In a setting where specialist support is extremely limited, being able to discuss cases in that way is invaluable.
Training the Next Generation
While the clinical work at Trinity Dental Clinic is essential, the long-term focus is on building a dental workforce within Liberia itself.
The Liberia Dental Therapy School aims to train dental therapists who can provide essential care in communities where access to dentistry is currently almost non-existent. Many of these graduates will eventually return to rural areas where patients today may have no realistic way of seeing a dental professional.
For the students, seeing procedures clearly as they happen and reviewing them afterwards is becoming an important part of their training.
And for James, it means that every case treated can also become a lesson for the clinicians who will one day carry that work forward.
At Admetec, we are honored to support professionals who choose to invest their expertise where it creates lasting change, and we are proud that we can play a part in the development of a dental workforce in Liberia.
If Dr. James Hunter’s work in Liberia inspires you and you would like to learn more, support the mission, or explore opportunities to volunteer or contribute, please use the links below.
• Learn more about Dr. James Hunter and ways to support the mission:
https://sim.co.uk/about/people/person/james-and-anna-hunter/
• Follow updates from the Hunters’ work in Liberia:
https://www.thehuntersinliberia.co.uk/our-updates
• Discover more about the Liberia Dental Therapy School:
https://www.ldts.org/
