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 - ETS- ODV''. Smile Mission is seated in via Giuseppe Zorzi 7, in

Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...

, 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, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

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 Human tooth, teeth, gums, and Human mouth, mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, dis ...

. 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, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

, 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 ( ) 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 the biggest tributary of ...

, in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

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 oral cavity clean and free of disease and other problems (e.g. bad breath) by regular brushing of the teeth (dental hygiene) and adopting good hygiene habits. It is important that oral hygiene be carr ...

'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 (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

;

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

;

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

;.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, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

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

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

. Former projects, now closed, operated in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

Notes

External links

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