Journey to bring smiles back to many children

Traveling hundreds of kilometers to find a smile again

LCD (7 years old, in Nam Dinh ) is one of many disabled children participating in the 9th Operation Smile program at E Hospital. Seeing the child's situation, no one can help but feel sympathy.

Doctors at E Hospital examine children in the Operation Smile program.

Due to cerebral palsy, baby D has facial muscle spasms, accompanied by uncontrolled behavior, often biting his lower lip. This causes irreversible damage to his lower lip and requires amputation.

D's situation was extremely difficult when his father died early, and his mother had to work far away to make a living. D grew up under the care of his grandmother. When she learned about the Operation Smile program, D's grandmother traveled more than a hundred kilometers from Nam Dinh to Hanoi in the hope that D would have a healthy face.

After examination and consultation, the doctors decided to perform lower lip plastic surgery for baby D. This is a complex reconstructive technique, requiring the use of tissue grafts from other areas of the body to reconstruct the shape of the lower lip, while restoring basic function.

Multiple treatment options

Baby D.NA (4 years old, in Quang Ninh ) was taken to E Hospital by her parents for examination with the hope of improving the abnormality on her face. According to Dr. Nguyen Hong Nhung, Department of Dentistry, E Hospital, baby A was diagnosed with a narrow palpebral fissure. This condition not only has a negative impact on aesthetics but also damages the visual function of the eye.

Baby NA was prescribed surgery by the doctor to open the corners of both eyes to adjust the structure of the eyelids, reshape the corners of the eyes to widen the vision, and improve the balance and harmony of the baby's face.

The boy NTA (11 years old, in Quang Ninh province) came with his mother to the clinic with a deformed jaw and face, loss of soft tissue of the upper and lower lips, lip contraction, unable to close the nose, and severely misaligned teeth.

Baby A's mother said that it was a household accident caused by a firecracker exploding in her face in 2022 that caused baby A to have a broken upper jaw, lower jaw, and lose her upper and lower lips... Before that, the child had undergone maxillofacial surgery at a medical facility.

Realizing that this was a severe case, the experts conducted a consultation and prescribed surgery to release the contracture and partially cover the defect with a microsurgical flap.

Early treatment has many benefits.

Dr. Nguyen Hong Nhung said that examination and treatment of children's abnormalities helps reduce the risk of complications, creating a foundation for children to develop healthily both physically and mentally, giving them the best chance of recovery and a fulfilling future.

According to Dr. Nguyen Tan Van, Deputy Head of the Department of Dentistry, E Hospital, when patients have large and complex facial injuries, choosing the microsurgical reconstruction method to reconstruct the patient's defects is the optimal choice and brings many benefits.

If in the past, many maxillofacial injuries were difficult to treat conservatively when surgery was required, now, with advances in microsurgery, a new quality of treatment has been brought. The biggest advantage of this method is the grafting, restoration, and protection of damaged body parts.

Sharing about the cooperation with Operation Smile organization in the journey to bring many new smiles to the less fortunate patients, especially children, Dr. Nguyen Cong Huu, Director of E Hospital said: Through this program, hundreds of patients with cleft lip, palate and many other deformities have had the opportunity to be examined, treated and operated on completely free of charge.

E Hospital creates the best conditions for children to participate in surgery. Children are examined and consulted by doctors, nurses, and technicians from the hospital's leading specialties; children and their families will be exempted from all surgical costs, post-operative care, and supported with a portion of food costs and all accommodation costs during treatment at the hospital...

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/hanh-trinh-tim-lai-nu-cuoi-cho-nhieu-tre-tho-192241224190945482.htm