How I Found My IDD Calling From Bali
by Ayu Bintang Rena Sanjiwani Budhiarta, 2021 Student Leadership in Global Oral Health Program Fellow, Alliance for the Oral Health Across Borders (AOHAB)
Seated bottom right, Ayu Bintang Rena Sanjiwani Budhiarta with AOHAB President Deborah Wisefuse, seated center in white and the rest of the international AOHAB students in Orlando, Florida attending AADMD’s One Voice Conference.
I come from Indonesia, a place where traditional beliefs broadly affect how everyday life operates. In Balinese culture, there is a concept called “kleteg bayu.” Kleteg bayu is believed to be an inner vibration or subtle internal sensation people experience. Balinese people see that inner vibration as a sign of intuition and deeply rely on the concept of kleteg bayu in their decision-making process.
Growing up, I found it hard to understand what kleteg bayu was. I coudn’t understand how people relied on such an intangible feeling in their decision-making process. People could acquire land worth billions of rupiah solely based on their kleteg bayu. When you ask a bride why they chose the groom as their lifetime spouse, they’d say because they felt the kleteg bayu. Again, kleteg bayu accounted for substantial life-changing decisions.
In the earlier years of my studies, I read a journal article that discussed how children with special needs could hardly access dental care in Indonesia. Mothers revealed that most of the time, they would be rejected by the dental professionals due to their children’s condition, even after spending hours in a car to get to the provider. That’s when I started thinking about enrolling into the School of Dentistry.
In the middle of 2021, I saw the opportunity to join the Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders’ Student Leadership in Global Oral Health (AOHAB SLGOH) Program. The program was an opportunity to bridge my interest in special needs dentistry. Their one-year courses equipped me with the skills to identify problems in my surroundings, brainstorm, map them out, and create a project to solve them. I created a School-based Study of Parents’ Knowledge, Attitude, and Behaviors about Oral Health in Children with Special Needs in Gianyar. I was mentored by Marion Bergman, Darren Weiss, and Deborah Weisfuse. The program also funded students to attend the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (AADMD) One Voice Conference and gave us a chance to present our project at that conference.
As a girl who grew up on a small island in the archipelago of Indonesia, the idea of going to the United States of America was a mix of apprehension, excitement, and nervousness. After almost 21 hours of travel, I stepped foot on the land of the free for the first time.
Deborah and Marion introduced me to many amazing people at the 2022 AADMD One Voice Conference, and I got to talk about my interest in special needs dentistry. I got to listen to how people collectively believe that those with Special Needs have to have equal rights as everyone. I saw different projects where people put their sweat, blood, and tears to create equality for those with special needs. I got to discuss special needs dentistry with all the best people in this field. I could not be more grateful.
Highlights from the 2022 AADMD One Voice Conference in Orlando, Florida.
From what I know in Indonesia, most dentists are more focused on dental aesthetics. This made me worry that no one was interested in special needs dentistry. Being exposed to so many people in the same boat advocating for special needs dentistry and their diverse ideas, initiatives, and efforts had my heart pounding fast (I was supposed to be jet lagged!). And at that moment, I knew what having kleteg bayu was all about. I never thought I would find mine 10,671 miles away from where I first heard that concept.
Senyum Bintang with the kids and caregivers after a dental health education.
This kleteg bayu empowered me to know what I want to do for the rest of my life: advocate for inclusive oral health, especially for people with special needs here in Bali. It won’t be an easy fight, but I’m willing to endure the process. The process started with a small step. I founded a not-for-profit organization called Senyum Bintang (@senyum.bintang on Instagram) that advocates for inclusive oral health. There are currently 60 volunteers in the organization, and we provide dental health education for parents, caregivers, and children with special needs. In the near future, I hope to do more research in this field so that we can advocate with better evidence and implement programs to empower the community.
Afterall, AOHAB SLGOH Program and AADMD helped me discover my kleteg bayu.