1000 Smiles Dental Project
 
 

 Read about the 1000 Smiles Dental Project

    Overview | Highlights | Goals

 Dates for 2006
    Project 1 Ocho Rios:    September 22nd - October 9th
    Project 2 Negril:           October 13th - October 30th

 Past 1000 Smiles Projects Photos and Stories     2005 | 2004 | 2003     

1000 Smiles Overview

1000 Smiles is a history-making international humanitarian dental project designed to provide access to greatly needed dental care and education to Jamaican children and their communities. Started in 2002, this amazing project is a dynamic collaboration between Great Shape! Inc., the International Smile Power Foundation, Sandals Resorts International, and the Jamaican Ministry of Health. The project is the largest humanitarian international dental mission on the planet Earth, with over 80 dental volunteers from all over the USA, Canada and beyond joining together each year for over four weeks for just one cause: to give their care, education, expertise, time and love to those children most in need in rural Jamaica. These areas have only one dentist for every 80,000 residents!

Sustainability
While we serve over 8,000 Jamaican children each year at a cost of only $10 each, we hold as a core value that accessible and sustainable dental care for all Jamaicans will not be realized unless Jamaicans are trained and supported to care for their own. Therefore, we have several elements in our project to achieve these ends:
     1. Provide equipment and supplies to existing Ministry of Health clinics and staff.
     2. Offer in-field training and sharing of ideas and expertise.
     3. In partnership with US universities, offer scholarships to select individuals to become dentists and hygienists, who will return to Jamaica to provide care for their own.

It Takes A Village...
The saying is also true when it comes to accomplishing great acts of humanitarian relief. The 1000 Smiles Dental Project is only possible because many, many enlightened indivduals and companies make decisions to actively care about others who are less fortunate; because deep inside they know we are all connected in the big "One Love".
     1. Over 80 dental volunteers close their offices, forego their income and pay travel expenses to give the gift of dental care while relieving and preventing suffering.
     2. Sandals Resorts International, a Jamaican owned company, cares greatly about the people of Jamaica and especially in those communities where their employees come from. Other companies like Colgate Palmolive, St. Ann Bauxite, Air Jamaica, AVXP and others also generously support the 1000 Smiles Project.
     3. Hundreds of individuals Sponsor A Smile or volunteer time to help raise money to make the project possible.

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Annual Project Highlights

  • Over 8000 Jamaicans served in education and clinical services.
  • $1,000,000 US worth of services and education delivered.
  • Over 2000 people receive fillings, extractions, cleanings or sealants.
  • Over 6000 children receive preventative oral hygiene education, with toothbrushes and paste provided by the generous donation of Colgate-Palmolive Jamaica.
  • Over 2000 teeth on over 200 children aged 6 and 12 receive protective sealants on their new permanent molars, effectively preventing tooth decay for many years.
  • Sandals Resorts International, the major project sponsor, donates $400,000 worth of all-inclusive rooms for the volunteers.
  • 80 dental volunteers from all over the USA and Canada give their expertise, time, money, hard work and love as they gain the rich experience of learning about Jamaican culture and its beautiful people.

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GOALS

The goals of the 1000 Smiles Dental Project are:

  1. Prevent generations of tooth decay through educating Jamaica's children on oral hygiene in their school classrooms.
  2. Provide basic clinical dental services, including cleanings, fillings, extractions and sealants to those in most need.
  3. Apply protective sealants on new permanant molars of children aged 6 and 12, effectively preventing tooth decay for many years.
  4. Support the existing Jamaican Ministry of Health Dental Units with repairs and upgrades to their equipment, donated supplies, and trainings to staff all with the goal of building the capacity of Jamaica to be able to better care for their own.
  5. Build bridges of goodwill, peace, friendship, understanding and love between peoples of different countries, cultures and colors. Provide life enriching opportunities for Jamaicans and Americans to learn about and grow from eachother.

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