Changing the world one smile at a time
Nuevas Sonrisas collaborates with communities in the developing world to achieve lasting improvement of children’s oral health by focusing on prevention.
Nuevas Sonrisas is dedicated to improving children’s oral health in developing communities through a holistic approach that emphasizes prevention. Our mission prioritizes equal focus on providing services and education, fostering sustainable, long-term impacts.
We collaborate closely with client communities, ensuring they are integral to every decision-making process. By expanding local support for delivering oral health services and education, we strengthen the foundation for lasting change. To enhance our impact, we prioritize quality over quantity in all initiatives and continuously improve the organization and execution of our dental service trips.
To empower service providers, we develop and deliver comprehensive training modules, ensuring consistent and effective care. Additionally, we document every aspect of running the organization, beyond service provision, to ensure transparency, scalability, and sustainability in achieving our mission.
Mobile teams provide education and dental services to children and families in Santa Catarina Mita, Jutiapa, Guatemala.
Nuevas Sonrisas is a volunteer group from Oregon that has made a lasting difference in the lives of children in rural Guatemala for over a decade. Dozens of volunteers return each spring to work with Guatemalan dentists and public health workers to treat more than 4,000 school children — providing sealants, fluoride and emergency care. We include the parents in dental education, teaching the importance of nutrition and toothbrushing. Children and their parents are taught new habits of daily toothbrushing and limiting cavity-causing foods. Read what some of our volunteers experience during their week with us.
Schools Served
Parents Educated
Fillings & Extractions Performed
Dental Sealants Placed
Children Receiving Fluoride and Education
Volunteer-Days Served in Guatemala
Oral Health International Foundation Grant
The Oral Health International Foundation has awarded a $8,826 grant to expand our services to the children of Santa Catarina Mita in 2026. This generous grant will enable us to expand our program to previously unserved preschool children aged 4-to-6 years old in 35 urban and rural schools. We will provide additional classroom instruction and education tailored to parents on the importance of nutrition and oral hygiene.
The supplies and equipment will enhance our ability to identify and treat children with our rural mobile health clinics. Our Guatemalan colleagues will continue our work throughout the year in clinics we plan to fully equip. Those clinics will be staffed by local public health dentists and recent graduates.
2026 Trip Challenge Grants
Several families who care deeply for the mission of Nuevas Sonrisas have offered Challenge Grants totaling $15,000 to expand the scope and effectiveness of the services we provide to the children in Santa Catarina Mita.
Please donate now to increase the impact of the Challenge Grant gifts.
Donate
We are an all-volunteer group. More than 95% of our budget is spent on client services.
Volunteer
We’re looking for energetic, motivated people to join us in rural Guatemala each March.
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2025 Permanente Dental Group Grant
Thank you to the Permanente Dental Group for their $5,000 grant this fall and a special acknowledgement of their continued support of our mission to improve children’s dental health through prevention. With this grant we will be able to expand our services and impact even more children in Santa Catarina Mita. We are very grateful for your generosity!
Colgate-Palmolive Guatemala Collaboration
Many thanks to Colgate-Palmolive in Guatemala for their continued support which will provide over 4,000 students in the Santa Catarina Mita area schools toothbrushing supplies to promote dental health and good toothhbrushing habits. Children, their families, and teachers will all benefit from the educational components of Colgate’s Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program.
Click here to see more Colgate information and pictures.
