Miles for Smiles is a mobile dental care model started by Dr. Othman Shibly, a Syrian American orthodontist, to provide free oral health care and education to thousands of refugee children and host communities through leading dental missions, training community health workers on basic oral health and dental care, and referring to dental clinics that are partners in serving the same communities.
- SAMS partnership with Miles for Smiles began in 2016 with the deployment of dental missions to Lebanon to serve refugees and host communities in need. The project has since developed into a continuous preventive and educational community based dental care model utilizing dentists and trained community healthcare workers with the supervision of international specialists. This groundbreaking initiative promotes oral health and prevents disease through proactive, preventative approaches, the distribution of personal care items, and teaching proper dental and oral self-care. In 2023, Miles for Smiles Community based project served 8,000 individuals, mostly children, in addition to 1,700 during dental missions.
- In 2019, a Miles for Smiles mission to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, initiated collaboration between SAMS and local health authorities to start dental services within refugee camps focusing on essential therapeutic and preventive care.
- Future Plans: Further expansions will include community and camp based dental care for refugees and migrants in Greece, building on the insights and successes of our initial programs.
Key Activities
- Oral and dental examinations at schools or other approved centers
- Treatment of teeth with SDF for active caries and Fluoride varnish application
- Provision of awareness sessions, nutrition counseling, instructions on proper daily oral hygiene
- Extraction of Teeth, treatment of infection, and provision of medications as needed
- Distribution of toothbrushes and toothpastes: All beneficiaries should receive
- Referrals to dental clinics for advanced cases
Henry Shein GIK
Since 2016, commitment from Henry Shein has been critical for our dental projects to get dependable and continuous flow of essential dental supplies as Gift-In-Kind (GIK). This support empowers our dedicated teams to broaden their reach, enhance service quality, and make a tangible difference in the health and lives of many.
