DT News - Latin America - Chile dentists OK after earthquake

Javier Mz. de Pison, DT Latin America

mar. 2 marzo 2010

guardar

MIAMI, USA: The director of Salon Dental Chile Miguel Wechsler, the main dental expo in Chile, told Dental Tribune Latin America over the phone that the capital Santiago was only slightly affected by the recent powerful earthquake and that there was a tense calm in the nation, caught by surprise in the middle of the summer vacation. Mr Wechsler said that Chile's "strict building codes have saved thousands of lives, and 95 per cent of the infrastructure in the capital is intact."

The Salon Dental Chile, which had over 5,000 visitors in 2009, will take place as scheduled on 27-29 May.

Wechsler said that the 15-story building where he lives in Santiago rocked five meters from side to side during the tremor, but that only some ornaments in his home fell to the floor and broke. Electric power was restored in most of the capital two days after the earthquake.

Though the strength of Chile’s earthquake was 500 times more powerful than the quake that devastated Haiti, the loss of life has been considerably less in the South American country. Haiti’s death toll is at over 200,000, while the death toll in Chile currently stands at just over 700.

The president of the Chile Dental Association, Dr María Eugenia Valle was in California when the quake struck her country, and said in an email that she was very nervous because she was there with her three little grandsons, unable to fly to Chile. The executive secretary of the Association, Dr Patricio López, said from Santiago that the narrow geography of Chile has made it difficult to assess the total damage since there are no alternative roads to the main ones to travel south.

The most affected city by the quake was Concepción, 500 kilometres south of the capital. After some initial riots caused by the closing of the main supermarkets there, the government said that order was restored in the city.

To post a reply please login or register

The unprecedented success of Dental Salon Chile

SANTIAGO DE CHILE: The sixth annual edition of Dental Salon Chile has nothing to envy from the best American or European expos in terms of quality and ...

The Unprecedented Success of Dental Salon Chile

SANTIAGO DE CHILE: The sixth annual edition of Dental Salon Chile has nothing to envy from the best American or European expos in terms of quality and ...

Novedades del Salón Dental Chile (3)

SANTIAGO — Tercera entrega sobre algunos de los productos presentados en el Salón Dental Chile.

Novedades del Salón Dental Chile (2)

SANTIAGO — Esta es la segunda entrega de algunas de las novedades presentadas en la mayor feria del comercio dental de Chile.

Novedades del Salón Dental Chile (1)

SANTIAGO — En el mundo dental hay compañías serias y compañías que no lo son tanto. La empresa brasileña FGM ...

Discover Chile, a Growing Dental Market

The Chile Dental Show, the largest dental trade exhibition in this prosperous Latin American country, is the perfect excuse to combine business and ...

La situación de la Odontología en Chile

Los autores ofrecen un análisis de la situación de la Odontología en Chile, un país que dicen que ha mercantilizado la formación profesional y cuyos ...

La “Historia de la Implantología en Chile”

Para comienzos de mayo 2019, se espera el lanzamiento del libro “Historia de la Implantología en Chile, RELATOS” de Sebastián Jiménez P., periodista ...

Glidewell abre nuevo laboratorio internacional en Chile

Glidewell Laboratories continúa con su plan de ofrecer restauraciones asequibles y de alta calidad a los dentistas de todo el mundo y de impulsar la ...