Photo By Staff Sgt. Adriana Barrientos | A young island resident smiles for a photo as he holds a dental hygiene kit provided...... read more read more
UNION ISLAND, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Dental professionals from the 433rd Aerospace Medicine Squadron, (AMDS) Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, and the 349th Medical Squadron, Travis Air Force Base, California, partnered with Air Forces Southern (AFSOUTH) to support the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission in Union Island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, March 17-21. The enhanced military readiness, while providing essential dental care and hygiene education to remote island communities.
The LAMAT 2025 mission specifically targeted Union Island, which had been severely impacted byHurricane Beryl in July 2024. The storm caused widespread damage, leaving the island's medical facilities in disrepair and significantly hindering residents’ access to healthcare. At the request of the Ministry of Health, the LAMAT team focused on providing essential dental care and hygiene education to the island’s community, addressing the ongoing challenges faced by Union Island residents in the aftermath of the disaster.
In an environment where routine dental care is scarce, the team delivered critical services, including teeth cleanings, oral exams, and dental hygiene education. This mission ensured that residents received preventive care vital to their long-term oral health. Beyond providing necessary treatment, the mission also gave Reserve Citizen Airmen the opportunity to enhance their skills in an austere environment, reinforcing their ability to perform effectively in any setting while sustaining operational medical readiness.
“One of the goals of LAMAT is gaining experience and adapting to situations we’re not used to working with,” said Col. Michael Bates, 433rd AMDS chief of dental services and dentist. “The best way to train is by real world application, and we learned a lot by getting hands-on training with local patients, from kids to adults, and using the mobile dental units for this opportunity.”
The mobile dental units enabled providers to efficiently perform cleanings and preventive care in areas where fixed dental facilities are limited, or unavailable.
“Everything that you're accustomed to seeing in a dental office from high speed suction, low speed suction and three-way syringe, is in a compact briefcase,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Joshua Antonio Moreno, 433rd AMDS dental technician. “We’ve been able to provide this capability, working alongside the dentist to continuously see patients. I know being in the dental chair can be very intimidating, so we try to ease them in.”
These units played a key role in ensuring service members maintained clinical proficiency in diverse operational settings, preparing them to respond to real-world contingencies.
Master Sgt. Brian Phan, a biomedical equipment technician (BMET) from the 628th Healthcare Operations Squadron, played a crucial role in supporting the team. As the only BMET embedded with this dental team, he was essential in maintaining all medical supplies and ensuring dental equipment remained operational.
“This mobile dental unit is meant for these types of field conditions, and ensuring our equipment is fully operational was crucial for this mission,” said Phan. “Being able to provide these services to local residents is definitely rewarding.”
Beyond clinical care, the dental teams collaborated with local providers to train and exchange best practices while reinforcing international partnerships and advancing shared medical capabilities.
“The experience collaborating with the Air Force dental team has been perfect,” said Dr. Kishron Richards, district medical officer at Celina Clouden Hospital. “It’s been really organized, and it’s been good having them around, especially post Hurricane Beryl, to do some dental work together.”
By integrating medical training with real-world patient care, LAMAT 2025 reinforced the Air Force’s commitment to global health engagement and military readiness, ensuring Reserve Citizen Airmen remain proficient, adaptable, and ready to provide care in any environment.
| Date Taken: | 03.20.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.24.2025 20:11 |
| Story ID: | 493381 |
| Location: | VC |
| Web Views: | 61 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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