Do community outreach programmes provide the help Orang Asli communities truly need?

FOR years, our well-intentioned volunteers have travelled to Orang Asli villages with portable dental chairs, toothbrushes and fluoridated toothpaste. We conduct screenings, provide oral health education and basic treatment, and leave hoping that we have made a difference.

Yet, our experiences in these communities have prompted an important question: Are we providing the kind of help that Orang Asli communities truly need?