The daily life of an orthodontist may not seem very exciting, but Shane Fryer’s job has been quite the opposite.
His volunteer work in Timor-Leste has led the Blakehurst resident to being recognised for a Medal of the Order of Australia, for service to dentistry.
Dr Fryer, who recently finished his term Australian Dental Association president, founded the Timor dental clinic in 2015.
“A friend who was the chairman of a hospital there, asked me if I would look at expanding services in the clinic,” Dr Fryer said.
“Infection control was important because there are quite high levels of Hepatitis B in the community, and it all was done on a shoestring budget.”
The service includes treating decay, pain and tooth extraction, Dr Fryer said although the service was simple, it came a long way.
“In 2016, the clinic was accredited as a proper and adequately functioning dental surgery,” he said.
“There are less than 10 dentists in Timor, but things are improving.”
