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Tracey Bell team welcome the Children of Chernobyl

It’s been almost 30 years since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster struck. However, decades on, children born in Chernobyl are still suffering the effects of radiation. Local dentist, Tracey Bell, and her team wanted to show that although the Chernobyl disaster may now be old news, the challenges facing children living in this contaminated zone are never forgotten.

For the past 15 years, Tracey Bell has been treating the Children of Chernobyl at her multi-award winning Isle of Man Clinic. Tracey said: “It’s all about creating great teeth, great treatments and lots of happy smiles.”

Children born in parts of Belarus and the Ukraine remain at a greater than average risk of succumbing to terminal illnesses because of the contaminated environment they are exposed to. Spending time in the Isle of Man, where they can consume food and water which is free from contamination and breathe cleaner air, building their strength, can greatly improve life expectancy.

Tracey added: “We’ve been doing this for 15 years now, seeing the children’s oral health improve and their fear disappear. They love coming to see the dentist now, which is a real credit to the staff, therapists and dentists here. I’d like to say a special thank you to James, Ivan, Gail and Julie, who all give their time to promote oral health during the children’s three short weeks on the island. It’s not a lot of time, but evidence shows that what we’re doing works.

“It’s one of our greatest achievements as dentists to make a positive difference to the lives of the children of Chernobyl and we’re excited to welcome them to our clinic every year.”

85 percent of Belarusian children are deemed to be Chernobyl victims: they carry ‘genetic markers’ that could affect their health at any time and can be passed on to the next generation.

However, numerous studies indicate that time spent on ‘recuperative’ holidays in locations such as the Isle of Man make a real difference to the prognosis for these children. Tracey Bell and her team are proud to play their part in improving the health of these youngsters who they’ll be welcoming back to the clinic again next year.

www.traceybell.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Emma Hill .