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Photo by Paul Fattig Retired Ashland dentist Marvin Woods, with help from Medford dental assistant Nancy Ramey, works on a young boy in a nonprofit dental clinic in Da Nang, Vietnam. Husband, wife work together in different buildings The dentist: 'These people are just fantastic!' Editor's note : Today is the second in a four-day series about a group of Rogue Valley travelers healing the wounds -- their own and others' -- of war in Vietnam. Today's stories describe the work done by the volunteer medical team in Da Nang earlier this month. By PAUL FATTIG DA NANG, Vietnam -- When Marvin Woods bent his 6-foot frame over the small Vietnamese child, only the youngster's feet could be seen poking out of the portable dental chair. "Cow horn," Woods stated without taking his eyes off the offending tooth. Dental assistant Nancy Ramey handed him a glistening instrument used to remove lower molars. Woods gently attached it to the anesthetized tooth, then popped it out in one fluid motion. The tiny feet didn't even twitch. Woods, in a booming voice that would rattle a window at 50 paces, turned to no one in particular to exclaim, "These people are just fantastic!" The retired Ashland dentist was in his element, a humanitarian mission to help poor children at a portable dental office set up in a school for disabled children in Da Nang. The school has about 100 students. He and Medford resident Ramey were serving as a part of an outreach dental team for the Da Nang dental clinic opened by the nonprofit East Meets West Foundation early in 1996. Working alongside the Oregonians in another portable chair were the Vietnamese duo of Phan Thu Thuy, a dentist, and dental nurse Ho Thuy Truc. Thuy and Truc are part of the foundation's main dental clinic staff in Da Nang, which offers more extensive dentistry. The international team was practicing dental triage at the outreach site. This was emergency work to treat young patients suffering from acute dental problems. "A lot of them are here with pain from an infection, abscess or a broken tooth," Ramey explained. "Anyone who has ever had a toothache knows how much pain that is. Mostly we are putting out fires. "We can't do any preventative or restorative work -- this is basic, make-you-feel-better dentistry," she said. The free dental clinic was started by Charles "Fritz" Craft, 42, a dentist from Chugiak, Alaska. It combines a skilled Vietnamese dental staff assisted by international volunteers using donated dental equipment. Craft estimates that some $150,000 in dental equipment has been donated in the past five years with another $100,000 in cash contributions. The dental program now treats about 2,000 Vietnamese children each year. When the staff moves to a new dental clinic next year, members will need a computer, another portable dental chair and more dental lights, he said. The work by the international volunteers and the Vietnamese staff is taking a bite out of dental problems facing the poor in the region. During the year working at the nearby Village of Hope orphanage, Craft found that 85 percent of the children had severe tooth decay. By the following year, thanks to a dental hygiene education program, that number had dropped to 30 percent, Craft said. "I've never seen a turnaround like that," he said. "When you examine the kids there now, you can hardly find a cavity. You only find them on new kids coming in." Yet it takes a while for foreign volunteers, particularly Americans, to get in step with the Vietnamese culture, he said. "Formality here is very important," he said. "Being quick and expedient and focusing on high production is not nearly as important as being formal. I'm sure I've upset people by being demanding and fast." But, like Woods, he is impressed by the young Vietnamese patients. "They put their total faith and trust in you," he said. "You have a sacred honor to not damage that trust, to do your best for that patient. That's a pretty special feeling." Ramey, who has worked in her chosen profession for more than two decades, agreed. "They seemed to know we were there to help them -- it's very touching," she said. "We are so far from home and there is a complete language barrier. "This little girl, without saying anything, looked up at me, then put her hand out -- palm up," she added. "She was frightened. I reached out and held her hand. She was OK then." With that simple action, Ramey had bridged the communication gap. Soft rock music also helped the foreigners communicate. A CD player kept the clinic filled with tunes, all sung in English. While most youngsters braved the ordeal without a word, there was that one exception, of course. "One boy, I got him in the chair and I started to give him an anesthetic but that was as far as I ever got with him," Woods said. "Maybe this afternoon, maybe tomorrow ... " Yet Woods, who has worked on humanitarian missions in Mexico and Honduras, was impressed with the young Vietnamese patients and the Vietnamese dental staff. "I have never enjoyed doing dentistry as much as I did in this little clinic," he said. "You just can't say enough about these people." (Tomorrow: A sister travels to touch her lost brother's past.) Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA