Smile Train and Dentsply Sirona celebrate Cleft Awareness Month with launch of advanced training program in Digital Cleft Orthodontics

With more than 3,800 supported cleft surgeries in 15 countries, Smile Train and Dentsply Sirona look back on almost three years of their impactful partnership. With Smile Train, the world’s largest cleft-focused organization, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Dentsply Sirona has a strong partner to advance the future of cleft care, bringing healthy smiles to children and parents around the world as a result.

New York, NY., July 30, 2024. This July, Smile Train, the world’s largest cleft-focused organization recently marking 25 years, celebrates National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month, alongside their partner Dentsply Sirona. To mark these special occasions, both organizations are going above and beyond to raise public awareness of clefts and to elevate the importance of increasing access to cleft care.

As part of its goal to bring hope and healing to cleft-affected children around the world, Smile Train is committed to working with Dentsply Sirona to bring better oral health and wellbeing to communities globally. Smile Train, with the support of Dentsply Sirona, recently launched the first advanced training in Digital Cleft Orthodontics in Medellín, Colombia, offering participants from different Latin American countries training on digital workflows in presurgical orthopedics, mixed and permanent dentition, as well as hands-on workshops across three stages of treatment.

To highlight the significance of Cleft Awareness Month, Smile Train has collaborated with Dentsply Sirona, who is hosting a fundraiser amongst its 15,000 employees worldwide which aims to promote oral health while raising up to $ 80,000 in support of life-changing cleft surgeries. In July and August, Smile Train will receive a $25 donation for every dental check-up registration by a Dentsply Sirona employee.

“As the world leading cleft-focused nonprofit, Smile Train continues to transform lives and cleft care around the world. As we celebrate our 25th anniversary this year, we are proud of the 2 million free cleft surgeries we’ve supported,” said Susannah Schaefer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Smile Train. “We could not have achieved this major milestone alone. We’re thankful for longstanding partners like Dentsply Sirona who support our vision by offering financial support, expert knowledge and equipment, while using their position to help shine a light on the obstacles cleft-affected individuals face without timely, high-quality and comprehensive cleft care.”

Strong partners advance cleft care quality and access in underserved regions

Over the past three years, Smile Train and Dentsply Sirona have been taking continuous action to advance the future of cleft care through digitalization. Together with the FDI World Dental Federation, Smile Train and Dentsply Sirona developed the first-ever global standard protocols for digitalized cleft treatment. These protocols are designed to help improve the accuracy and efficacy of the current treatments by providing dental professionals with a comprehensive digital clinical approach across all stages of care.

In addition to their 25th anniversary, Smile Train recently celebrated their two millionth surgery, with Dentsply Sirona’s funding and support of 1,000 free cleft surgeries, adding up to a total of 3,800 life-transforming surgeries in 15 countries since 2021. Donations of 20 pieces of state-of-the-art equipment to seven Smile Train partners’ facilities across Latin America and Asia give even more patients access to modern treatment standards.

“Every three minutes, a baby is born with a cleft lip or palate which can cause difficulty with eating, breathing, hearing, and speaking. As a leading company in the field, we are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of those affected and to raising awareness for the importance of increased access to surgeries and care for children in need. It is amazing to witness the life-transforming power of cleft treatment and we are incredibly proud of what we have achieved together with our partner Smile Train.” says Andrea Frohning, SVP, Chief Human Resources Officer at Dentsply Sirona.

To learn more about Smile Train’s sustainability efforts and for more information on the partnership, visit https://smiletrain.org

Images

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Dentsply Sirona and Smile Train

continue their partnership to advance cleft care

At the advanced training in Digital Cleft Orthodontics,

Smile Train staff members demonstrated the integration of Dentsply Sirona’s intraoral scanner into the cleft treatment

Andrea Frohning

SVP, Chief Human Resources Officer at Dentsply Sirona

Susannah Schaefer

President and Chief Executive Officer, Smile Train

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About Smile Train

Smile Train empowers local medical professionals with training, funding, and resources to provide free cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children globally. We advance a sustainable solution and scalable global health model for cleft treatment, drastically improving children’s lives, including their ability to eat, breathe, speak, and ultimately thrive. To learn more about how Smile Train's sustainable approach means donations have both an immediate and long-term impact, please visit www.smiletrain.org.