Provide Dental Care for 60,000 Bolivian Children!

Dear Donors, Supporters, and Friends of the Smiles Foundation,

We are thrilled to bring you a small update on the progress of our work at SDF and GIC application program at the Marquina Educational Unit in the Marquina community, located in the province of Quillacollo, Cochabamba, Bolivia.

Over the course of a week (May 8 to May 13, 2023), we successfully executed the pilot stage of the silver diamine fluoride (SDF) application program. This program has had a significant impact, benefiting more than 300 individuals directly and an equal number indirectly.

We are deeply grateful to our founder, Sandra R. Kemper, Dr. S. Golightly, and the allied organization, Refugio Rafael, a member of GlobalGiving, located in the Marquina area, as well as UPAL University, local educational authorities, the Unidad Educativa Marquina parents' board, and members of the community for their invaluable support and participation.

The focus of this initial stage was to apply SDF to children between the ages of 4 and 8 years old who had been deprived of dental services and were suffering from active cavities. We are proud to report that every single one of these children received the necessary treatment.

Our objective with this program is to adhere to the protocols established by the Smiles Forever Foundation, ensuring humane, safe, and ethical treatment for all beneficiaries. To this end, the project is being actively evaluated, assisted, and executed by the Internal Review Board (IRB) of the Universidad Privada Abierta Latino Americana (UPAL). The data obtained, processed, and compiled from this stage will pave the way for a larger-scale project that aims to provide SDF benefits to over 1500 children attending the Marquina Educational Unit.

While the application of SDF and Glass Ionomer Cement (GIC) and education in oral health home care techniques and nutrition are crucial parts of the solution, we acknowledge that they may not be the ultimate answer to all the needs of this community. Unfortunately, not all teeth can be saved, and some cases require more complex dental processes and immediate attention. Hence, we propose the opening of a dental unit in the medical post adjacent to the Educational Unit. This facility will provide dental services to all members of the community, staffed by dentists graduated from the dental school of UPAL and supported by the Smiles Forever Foundation.

The results of the first visit, which is one of four visits comprising the pilot stage of the program, have been highly positive; our second visit is scheduled from August 21 to August 26, 2023. The commitment and involvement shown by school authorities, parents, and students have been motivating, and it reinforces our dedication to fulfilling our promises to the community. We deeply appreciate your continuous support, which helps us turn our programs, dreams, and hopes into reality for the less fortunate.

Thank you for being an integral part of our journey to bring brighter smiles and better oral health to the Marquina community.

With sincere gratitude,

Alejandro Beckrich B.

Director, Smiles Foundation Bolivia