Mountain resident and preventative dental assistant Georgina Cosentino is surrounded by some of the children who have benefitted from the Healthy Smiles program.

For Cherley Policier the line-up begins early in the morning. Young and old, male and female, they come to his dental clinic in Thibeau in north Haiti, usually with a tooth ache or worse.

Since last September, the island-trained dentist and the clinic has been a welcome addition to this poor rural community where rotting teeth and poor oral health are common due in most part to the easy accessibility of sugar cane that the inhabitants chew for sustenance.

Aided by a single dental assistant whose background is nursing rather than dentistry, Dr. Policier sees 20-30 patients each day, providing all the basic dental services from fillings to root canals to extractions and he does a lot of extractions. Dentures and partials are also provided. The job includes fixing problems that have been made worse by unqualified operators who pass themselves off as dentists.

The potential for disease, including HIV, tuberculosis and hepatitis is something that Dr. Policier must be wary of each day and surgical masks and gloves are standard equipment in the Thibeau clinic.

For all of this work and potential risk, Dr. Policier makes the grand total of $6,000 a year in U.S funds. Some busy dental clinics in Hamilton can probably make that much in an hour or two, but by Haitian standards it's a small fortune.

Dr. Policier's salary is covered through the fundraising efforts of Healthy Smiles for Haiti, a non-profit organization set up seven years ago by Mountain resident and preventative dental assistant Georgina Cosentino.

Healthy Smiles for Haiti will hold its fifth annual dance and silent auction April 26, 7:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes parish hall on Mohawk Road East.

"This is the only time we really ask for money," said Ms. Cosentino, who noted all of the proceeds from the fundraiser will go directly to help pay Dr. Policier. "The money goes directly from the Healthy Smiles account to Dr. Cherley's account so there's no administration fee in this at all."

The dental assistant's wages are covered through the nominal fee (about one or two dollars Canadian) the locals pay for each visit to the clinic.

A long-time preventative dental assistant, Ms. Cosentino has been making an average three trips to Haiti each year, during politically stable and unstable periods, where she teaches oral health care and hands out toothbrushes in schools and orphanages.

Ms. Cosentino said she usually brings about 23 kilograms (50 pounds) of donated supplies for dental clinics in the caribbean island nation on each trip.

A number of years ago the Mountain News dubbed Ms. Cosentino the "Toothbrush Lady" for her continuous campaign to collect new toothbrushes for Haiti.

Ms. Cosentino said the clinic in Thibeau has been in the works since October, 2001 and became a reality last fall thanks to a $20,000 grant from Rotary International and matching funds from the Burlington North and Mississauga Rotary clubs.

The money helped purchase equipment for the clinic located in a building that until recently had no local source of power. Electricity to run the clinic and its equipment is generated by a number of solar panels that have been installed using the grant money.

Ms. Cosentino, who was on hand when the clinic opened last fall and most recently in February, said the new service has been an "amazing" success.

"Everyone is pleased with what (Dr. Policier) is doing," Ms. Cosentino said. "In addition to his dental work, he also went into schools and churches to advertise the fact the clinic is open."

Ms. Cosentino said on her most recent rip to Haiti children from a school adjacent to the clinic were invited in for a tour and got to sit in the dental chair.

"I asked has anyone been to a (dental) clinic before and the (answer was) no," Ms. Cosentino said. "It was an education process where they could see it's not a place to be feared but a place you should feel comfortable in and you will be cared for."

Ms. Cosentino said donated door prizes for the April 26 fundraiser are still being sought. Tickets are $15 and include a buffet. They can be purchased at C&D Jewellery at Mountain Plaza Mall or by calling 905-389-7602.

The Toothbrush Lady is also hoping local schools, churches and community groups will continue to collect new toothbrushes that she can take on her next trip to Haiti later this year. For more information on Healthy Smiles for Haiti see: www.healthysmilesforhaiti.org.