Oral disease is one of the world’s most pervasive health issues, yet it is one of the most overlooked and underpublicized. According to the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), children in Latin America suffer twice the number of dental cavities compared to the children of North America. The oral health crisis persists as a result of a lack of awareness, access to , and affordability of quality dental care, particularly for vulnerable populations.
Unspoken Smiles is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing access to quality dental care to everyone, everywhere. Through our work, we are transforming the future of oral health care worldwide.
Why It Matters
Although oral disease may directly affect a limited area of the human body, it can negatively impact children’s health and quality of life as it suggests underlying health issues and their consequences can also impact other functions throughout the human body as a whole.
Moreover, oral disease is considered the fourth most expensive disease to treat, because of that, socioeconomic status poses a significant impact on oral health as only two-thirds of the world’s population has access to oral care and resources. In Latin America and the Caribbean alone, minority groups living in rural, and remote villages are disproportionately impacted by oral disease and related systemic health problems. Oral disease can affect anyone, anywhere, at any age.
“ORAL DISEASES OFTEN SUGGEST UNDERLYING DISEASES AND ARE CONSIDERED TO BE THE FOURTH MOST EXPENSIVE TO CURE,”
Jean Paul Laurent
Our Solution
At Unspoken Smiles our aim is to create a more equitable future in dental care by solving global oral health challenges to deliver lasting impact. Our innovative programs offer critical oral health education to children and training for women, empowering them with a sustainable career in dentistry.
I first met Francisco, a 6 year old boy from Guayaquil, Ecuador, when he joined our virtual classroom program in the spring right in the middle of the pandemic. He, like many of his classmates, had little access to oral health education that was relatable, that was enjoyable. After participating in our first ever virtual program, where we conect career dental role models to local primary schools, he told me that his favorite virtual lesson plan was the Anatomy of the Mouth where he learned all the different parts of the mouth for the very first time. And more importantly, changed the way he brushes his teeth after learning the proper brushing techniques from our dedicated volunteer fellows. His favorite part about visiting the dentist is getting a cavity free checkup; his least favorite part — perhaps like kids around the world — is the sound of the drill.
Students like Francisco propel my passion.
A Call For Regional Action
Building on the success of our past initiatives, where we have served over 7000 children in 8 countries across 4 continents, the next five years will mark a pivotal point for our growth at Unspoken Smiles in the Americas region.
Despite the coronavirus pandemic which has disproportionately affected the communities we serve in places like Guatemala and El Salvador, we managed to create impact by launching a virtual classroom initiative to bring oral health education #athome. This virtual classroom was widely successful and that’s why we are working to replicate that model globally in 2021.
As such, I am thrilled to be here with you at this Concordia Americas 2020, to officially announce our biggest call-to-action effort our organization has ever seen: to bring oral health education, oral hygiene kits, and preventative services to one million children in impoverished countries by 2030.
I look forward to building valuable partnerships to fulfill our shared vision of oral health for all children in the Americas. This is an ambitious and incredible moment in the fight to solve one of the most overlooked health problems in the world—bringing primary oral health care to ALL.