By Anisha Satya*
The Tongan dentists who attended the course. Photo: Supplied
Dr Abdul Aziz, 50, moved from Fiji to New Zealand over three decades ago.
He lives a comfortable life, practing dentistry in Auckland - and he could keep it that way.
But instead of settling, Dr Aziz goes throughout the Pacific, teaching people to drill holes in teeth.
Dr Aziz returned from Tonga last month, where he spent three days teaching and upskilling dentists, where 13 of the nation's 15 dentists attended the course.
"Pretty much the whole country was there," he said.
"There's no better compliment you can get than that."
Tongan dentists practicing root canals during the course. Photo: Supplied
Dr Aziz has operated under Smiles for the Pacific since 2011, when he formed the initative with like-minded dentists.
He said the "continual professional development" programme focussed on root canals and learning new technology, some of which were donated by New Zealand dental practitioners.
The course was provided through Smiles for the Pacific, a charity initiative which provides equipment and training to Pacific dentists.
All members, such as Dr Aziz, are volunteers. They give their time and pay their own way to the islands.
He found out that, following his course, one of the doctors had performed a successful root canal. It is those sort of results that he holds out for.
"There's nothing that beats the feeling that you get, he said, adding "the monetary side has no bearing on that."
A recent study found large workloads and a lack of specialised staff were some of the issues faced by Fijian dentists in their everyday work.
"We don't realise how privileged we are to live in [New Zealand]," he said.
"For us, what's basic, for them, is gold."
Dr Aziz (left) runs through procedure during the course. Photo: Supplied
'We want to upskill'
Dr Aziz said the Pacific as a whole was under-resourced and under-staffed.
While his organisation could provide aid, they are trying to solve the long-term issue.
"We want to upskill the...Pasifika professionals so that they can teach and train their own people."
He feels he owes his country of birth to give back and calls on other dentists to share their knowledge.
" am a Fijian. I've breathed the air, and I've drank the water. That's my homeland. I need to give something back."
He encourages people of all disciplines to get into volunteer work and help create long-lasting knowledge bases.
"It's important to share it. It will stay in someone's mind, someone's teeth."
Dr Aziz said Smiles for the Pacific will continue travelling around the Pacific to upskill workers, and calls on interested individuals and organisations to reach out to him if they want to get involved.
*Anisha Satya is an intern with RNZ Pacific from the University of Canterbury.
