Smiling Gecko Educational Campus
A technician with a heart of gold
Without the fantastic work of Christian Lüscher, we would not have such a well-equipped dental clinic on campus today, nor would we be able to support the clinic in the provincial capital. We are happy and fortunate to have Christian on our side and hold him in high esteem. In this interview with Hannes, he tells us how he got involved with us and what has happened in the years since his first visit.
Dear Christian, your much appreciated involvement began with a visit to the Smiling Gecko campus as a tourist. When was that?
In 2019, I wanted to visit Smiling Gecko because I had read something about it in a magazine. I came here for just one night and then had two days on the site. When I visited the school, I saw that many of the children had black teeth and I wrote an email asking if they could use toothbrushes and toothpaste at Smiling Gecko. The reply was that they actually wanted to set up a dental clinic. (laughs)
I remember that. You invited me to your institute, and we went through the treatment rooms, where you said that such chairs were theoretically available. And then you really started a process that wasn’t so easy at first.
We were in the process of remodeling our institute. We removed the old dental chairs and replaced them with new ones. There were 30 of them at the beginning and 50 the following year. In 2020, I shipped two chairs to Cambodia and was able to install them on campus in March, just before the coronavirus. Then I took the last regular flight back to Switzerland.
Exactly. You didn’t just organize the chairs, you personally came and set them up for us. That would have been impossible for us. My question is, what did you find when you came?
The room set aside for the clinic was actually quite okay. Everything was well prepared. That was good, of course, because you never know what you have. What kind of pipes are there? What are the inlets and outlets? It was a bit of an adventure. But I was able to put everything I’ve learned in my long career into practice. And for a good cause.
But you organized a lot more for us. Because it’s one thing to set up a clinic, but you also need people to treat people in it.
Yes, I put out a small ad at our institute, which was answered by dental students who wanted to go with me and a more experienced dentist. I then took a group to the campus in August and September 2022, where we were able to treat all the students. The next group came in 2023 and another group is here now.
What do you think this means for the students?
First and foremost, of course, they are here to help. But another important aspect is the adventure, which is incredibly bonding. For example, three or four of the first group are now working in the same place because they recommended each other to their employers. They also stay together. There’s a dynamic there that’s fun.
Let’s get back to you. We are conducting this interview on our way to the Kampong Chhnang Provincial Hospital, where we were able to donate a dental chair thanks to your help. You just installed the chair and I heard it was quite complicated.
It certainly was. With the older models, it’s not so easy to set them up and get them running because, for example, pipes leak and everything else takes a lot longer than with new chairs. I sweated a lot until it was done, and to be honest, I had imagined my vacation to be a little different. (laughs) But in the end, of course, I got it done and the chair is up and running.
What does the dental chair change for the clinic in Kampong Chhnang?
It’s a different chair from the ones they’ve had before, of course. For example, it has an electric motor with a much higher torque than the Chinese ones they usually use here. It’s a completely different way of working. I am convinced that they will be able to make much better use of the more modern technology in their treatment. We have also donated other dental materials which I hope they will be able to use well.
Thank you very much for your commitment. From me personally and, of course, on behalf of the entire Smiling Gecko team.
