Smile Mission is an Italian Association of volunteers, whose aim is supplying dental and medical care to anyone in need of help. Its denomination in full is ''Associazione Smile Mission Solidarietà Odontoiatrica Internazionale - ONLUS''. Smile Mission is seated in via Giuseppe Zorzi 7, in

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...

, the city in which it was founded 29 June 2005.

Purpose

The Association, strictly no-profit, pursues social solidarity, especially in the range of health services, through interventions supporting sanitary activity of prevention, care, bodily and psychical recovery towards needy people, in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and abroad. Smile Mission was founded on the initiative of some members, the greater part of them performing

dentistry Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions o ...

. Nowadays the Association still operates mainly in the sphere of dentistry, though it keeps some missions going in others medical specialities, too. Among a good deal of projects active or accomplished, can be mentioned the mission in Nzihi,

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

, going on in accordance with local Ministry of Health, (example of an activity drawing towards an administration fully undertaken by local government); as well as the dentist's surgery boat cruising along the

Madeira River The Madeira River ( pt, Rio Madeira, link=no ) is a major waterway in South America. It is estimated to be in length, while the Madeira-Mamoré is estimated near or in length depending on the measuring party and their methods. The Madeira is ...

, in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Sphere of action

Association's activities, carried out gratis by members, are: * Help, prevention and sanitary education (medical and dental) to disadvantaged people; * To organize expedition of volunteers to seat of projects' accomplishment: physicians, dentists, dental mechanics,

oral hygiene Oral hygiene is the practice of keeping one's mouth clean and free of disease and other problems (e.g. bad breath) by regular brushing of the teeth (dental hygiene) and cleaning between the teeth. It is important that oral hygiene be carried out ...

's diplomaeds, assistants, etc.; * Economic support to development programs, self-government, performed by local communities, in the range of medical and dental assistance; * Didactic activity, dental and medical, for its own members, people benefited by projects, and local operators. All activities are accomplished respecting social and cultural situations of the countries where the association is working, avoiding to impose forms religious, ideological, of organization, technological not shared by involved people.

Nations in which projects are active

Smile Mission has in course projects in

;

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

;

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

;

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

;.Formare dentisti e odontotecnici in paesi in via di sviluppo - Il Giornale della Previdenza dei Medici e degli Odontoiatri, Year XVII, N° 6-2012, pages 75-76 New projects are developing in

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

, in joint venture with another Association, Komera Rwanda, and in

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the ...

. Former projects, now closed, operated in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

Notes

External links

*
A video about a mission in Gatare, Rwanda
{{authority control Dental organizations Non-profit organisations based in Italy