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.
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 3,000 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
Pierre Fauchard Academy Grant
Nuevas Sonrisas is pleased and honored to announce that we have been awarded a $4,000 grant from the Oral Health Foundation of the Pierre Fauchard Academy. The grant will enable us to adopt a Glass Ionomer technology which is more expensive than conventional sealants but is quicker to apply, allowing us to treat more children in Santa Catarina Mita in 2025. Two of our volunteer hygienists, who came from Multnomah County Public Health, applied the GI sealants and were able to treat twice the number of children than other providers. Oregon has implemented it in its public health programs because of its superior performance.
2025 Trip Challenge Grants
Three families who care deeply for the mission of Nuevas Sonrisas have offered matching Challenge Grants of $5,000 each for a total of $15,000 to expand the scope and effectiveness of the services we provide to the children in Santa Catarina Mita. Each dollar you donate will be matched 3 times if you donated before December 31, 2024. Quadruple the impact of your donation by donating before December 31, 2024.
Quadruple the impact of your donation if you give before December 31, 2024
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We are an all-volunteer group. More than 95% of our budget is spent on client services.
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We’re looking for energetic, motivated people to join us in rural Guatemala each March.
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Permanente Dental Association Grant
Two of our team’s volunteer dentists helped procure a $15,000 grant from Permanente Dental Associates to purchase dental supplies like fluoride, sealants, and other supplies for our prevention program. These supplies will be put to good use in our expanding prevention program that will serve additional schools next year. Thank you Permanente Dental Associates!
Colgate-Palmolive Guatemala Donation
Many thanks to Colgate-Palmolive in Guatemala for their very generous donations which provided 2500 students in the Santa Catarina area schools toothbrushing supplies along with posters and parent information as part of our prevention program. Children, their families, and teachers all benefited from the dental education provided as part of the distribution of these important products.
Click here to see more Colgate information and pictures.
