Flossing, a comment by Sas Carey

When I am in the taiga, the Reindeer Herders call me The Old Woman With the Good Teeth. This is a telling name. When they get older, they don't have a full set of teeth since there is no dental care. The herders do have toothbrushes, but only brush in the morning. They don't know about flossing. Last summer, there was a 13- year-old Dukha girl visiting the family I was visiting. Every time I sat outside with my floss and brush, she sat

about two feet away from me—watching everything I did. Using my favorite educational concept of teachable moments, I look forward to using my name as an example of what good preventive dental care can do. Lately the literature is showing a relationship between periodontal disease and liver cancer, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. Flossing is simple and quick. It might just make a difference.

About Nomadicare…

Forty years ago, all Mongolians were nomads. Now 42% are. Mongolian land, the largest pristine wilderness in the world, cannot sustain agriculture. Nomads have sustained the land for thousands of years. As nomads leave their land, the Earth loses both appropriate land use and a way of life. NOMADICARE, under various other names, has been supporting nomads since 1994. Each year we have listened to what the herders need and found ways to help. With great generosity from donors, we have taken medical laboratories,

medical supplies, and vitamins. We have trained doctors, given scholarships and made movies about their lifestyle, always working with two main groups: nomads of the Gobi Desert and Dukha Reindeer Herders of the taiga.