Dental help where it’s really needed: Kuraray Noritake supports humanitarian missions in East Africa and Papua New Guinea: Kuraray

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Dental help where it’s really needed: Kuraray Noritake supports humanitarian missions in East Africa and Papua New Guinea

Access to dental care is something many of us take for granted. In some regions of the world, however, a first dental appointment can be a life-changing moment. That’s why Kuraray Noritake has been supporting humanitarian dental missions for years by providing high-quality materials and facilitating professional treatment in places where healthcare is unavailable or difficult to access. In this way, Kuraray Noritake, a dental company with worldwide operations, lives up to is aspiration of taking responsibility and improving people’s lives by offering hands-on assistance.

A commitment that starts with people

The missions are led by Polish dentists and dental students, who give their time, knowledge, and resources to help those who do not have access to even the most basic dental care. The challenges are immense: organizing equipment, transportation and logistics and working in conditions with limited infrastructure – to name only a few. Yet every time, determination and teamwork turn those obstacles into achievable goals.

Following earlier missions to Tanzania and Rwanda, this year the team traveled to Papua New Guinea – the first ever Polish dental expedition to this region. With the support of Kuraray Noritake, the team was able to provide sustainable treatment using materials such as light-cured composites for permanent fillings, advanced bonding systems, and desensitizing materials. Although the advanced state of decay meant that tooth extractions often could not be avoided, the team was also able to save and restore numerous teeth using these materials. Their quality and reliability ensured that patients received safe care despite the extremely challenging local conditions.

Working in the toughest conditions

Working in makeshift clinics, often without electricity or running water, the team treated more than 600 patients and carried out more than 2,000 procedures in Port Moresby-Benspik Settlements and Kupiano. An abandoned library was transformed into a temporary dental clinic with four chairs for treatment, while a simple tent became the reception area. When night fell, the work continued with the help of headlamps.

For many of the patients, this was their first-ever dental visit. Pain relief and restored function immediately improved their quality of life. Alongside dental treatments, the volunteers provided education on oral hygiene and nutrition. Meanwhile, other team members conducted an eye care campaign and distributed glasses brought from Poland – a simple gesture that immediately enhanced everyday life for many people.

Building something that lasts

The mission did not end with the team’s departure. The dental stations established during the mission are now used by local dentists from Lamana Dental Clinic in Port Moresby, who continue to provide treatment for the local community. That was the intention from the outset: Continuity is essential in all such missions. Short-term action cannot replace the need to build long-term care but even limited help can made a big difference – and change people’s lives.

Looking ahead

The missions will continue in 2026, with medical teams from Poland returning to both Tanzania and Kupiano in Papua New Guinea. Five missions are already planned for February, July, August and September, focusing especially on schoolchildren, teachers, and local communities. At the same time, work is continuing on improving the mobile equipment to make it more resistant to hot and humid conditions.

Kuraray Noritake remains committed to supporting these initiatives, in line with its vision of enhancing the quality of dental care through thoughtful, sustainable solutions. Even though each mission can only reach a fraction of those in need, for the hundreds of people who receive care, it means something profound: The experience of real, compassionate support and the knowledge that they have not been forgotten.

Kuraray Noritake: A world leader in the dental market

Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc., known as Kuraray Noritake for short, is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The company specializes in high-end materials for dental medicine and dental technology, including plastics and ceramics for fillings and dental prosthetics and adhesives to bond composites to teeth. Kuraray Noritake was established in 2012 as a joint venture of the specialty chemicals company Kuraray and Noritake, a producer of high-quality ceramic and porcelain products. This unique combination makes Kuraray Noritake one of the world’s leading suppliers to the dental market. Alongside dental practices and laboratories, its customers include universities and research institutes.