Sri Lanka gets USAF help to mop up rotten teeth in newly captured areas

Sept 13, 2007 (LBO) – A team of U.S. Air Force medics has helped treat patients in territory recently captured from Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka's east, the United States embassy in Colombo Thursday. "A nine-person team of USAF medics recently completed a medical/dental humanitarian assistance mission that benefited civilians living in the recently-liberated eastern region of Sri Lanka," it said in a statement.

The mission of the USAF team, comprising of a four-person dental team and five-person medical team, was funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and co-ordinated by its Office of Defense Cooperation in Colombo.

"Over four days in Kappalthurai, Echilanpattu and Vakarai, the team treated more than 1,900 patients, addressing the health needs of a population recovering from the December 2004 tsunami and separatist conflict," the statement said.

The dental team extracted over 200 rotten teeth.

The American military mission also included a two-day medical subject matter exchange with the USAF medics conducting 'Self Aid Buddy Care' training for more than 70 members of the Sri Lankan armed forces

Sri Lanka military physicians shared their expertise and experience in managing