Offering dental volunteer opportunities to bring essential care and education to communities that need it most. Your skills can change lives.
OF EXPERIENCE
Welcome to Smiles Movement, a specialized division of the MEDLIFE, committed to delivering essential dental care to underserved communities in Peru & Ecuador. Our mission is simple: bring back smiles to those who don’t have the means to create their own. Through dental mobile clinics, follow-up dental care, and volunteer spirit, we have touched the lives of thousands who previously lacked access to even basic dental care.
The Smiles Movement Service Learning Trips provides free, high-quality dental care directly to communities that lack access to basic services. Staffed by local practitioners from the MED Dental clinic, students will work directly with dental professionals to provide quality care.
Volunteers function in a variety of roles including:
In MEDLIFE’s classic Service Learning Trips, the dental station is consistently one of the most-requested services, but the dentists are only able to treat 15 patients a day. The high demand led to the creation of the Dental Service Learning Trip through Smiles Movement, a Service Learning Trip dedicated entirely to the type of health services the communities want and need!
Our Dental Service Learning Trips are staffed by local doctors and nurses. Because they speak the language, understand local systems, and provide culturally sensitive care, our patients take confidence in the work we do and the services we provide.
The MEDLIFE Dental Service Learning Trips do more than treat the immediate dental issues patients face. Our volunteers spend a day in a local school educating students on dental health and self-care topics to raise awareness, break stigmas, and provide kids with the tools to lead healthier lives.
We organize multiple dental service trips each year to various locations in Peru & Ecuador. Here’s what you can expect from a Smiles Movement trip:
Detailed orientation and training on dental care and community outreach. Community organizing workshops to prepare volunteers for effective engagement with local communities.
Conduct dental screenings, teeth cleanings, fillings, and when necessary, more complex procedures such as extractions. Host oral health education workshops for local communities.
Our established dental clinic in Peru serves as a permanent site for follow-up care, making sure that the communities we touch continue to have access to essential dental services.
We carefully choose our destinations to maximize impact, focusing on areas where the need for dental care is the most urgent. Currently, our missions target three key locations: Lima and Cusco in Peru, and Riobamba in Ecuador. Each of these cities presents its own set of challenges and opportunities for transformative dental care.
As the capital city, Lima offers a mix of urban and suburban communities that suffer from unequal access to dental care. Our work in Lima focuses on both immediate care and educational workshops to promote long-term oral health.
Cusco’s rich history contrasts sharply with the dental health inequities faced by its rural communities. Our teams often trek into remote areas to provide essential dental services, armed with portable dental equipment and a strong resolve.
Situated in the Andean mountain range, Riobamba is a city where healthcare resources are notably limited. Our dental clinic in Riobamba acts as a crucial center for both immediate procedures and follow-up care.
Dive into our collection of blog posts to discover the transformative impact of our projects and the inspiring stories of communities we’ve served.
