Health promotion and disease prevention has been a core component of the Smiles Foundation’s multifaceted approach to improving oral health since its inception.

The core component of the health promotion program are oral health education talks focused on building awareness of how dental diseases are caused, and to teach proper oral hygiene methods. The oral health educational talks are delivered daily to patients in the “Sonrisas” clinics, and patients are encouraged to use modeling in order to reinforce the techniques that have been demonstrated.

Although the core content of the health promotion program is oral health and hygiene, the foundation has also developed a group of other important subjects such as environmental issues, breastfeeding, nutrition, drug abuse, prevention of adolescent pregnancy, intra-family violence, and STI prevention. The reach of the health education program is focused on local clinics and schools, but activities are also carried out in a wide range of community gathering places.

In 2009, the Smiles clinics delivered a total of 126,323 treatments to our beneficiaries.  During the same year, a total of 144,286 individuals received health education from our local health educators.