Smile Train and Dentsply Sirona win Silver Dolphin at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards for Their Documentary, Journey of Smiles!

New York, N.Y., October 8, 2024. Smile Train, the world’s largest cleft-focused organization, and Dentsply Sirona, the leading manufacturer of professional dental products and technologies, are proud to announce that their documentary “Journey of Smiles” has been honored with a Silver Dolphin at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards in the “Corporate Online Media – Web Documentary” category. The documentary highlights the treatment journeys of several Colombian children with clefts from birth through early adolescence, showcasing the comprehensive care they receive through Smile Train. Recognized for its powerful storytelling, the documentary raises awareness about the transformative impact of cleft care. Through moving testimonials from doctors, patients, and their family members, “Journey of Smiles” showcases how digitalization has transformed cleft care, helping achieve better outcomes and making the entire treatment process more accessible for the young patients. The documentary also highlights the need for organizations, donors, and volunteers to come together and jointly help increase access to care for children with clefts, who, without treatment, face significant challenges with eating, hearing, speaking, and breathing.

“The “Journey of Smiles” documentary is compelling, eye-opening, and deserving of such recognition as it shines a light on the life-changing impact of comprehensive cleft care and the need for easier access to it. With committed partners like Dentsply Sirona, we can reach our vision of every person having access to safe, high-quality comprehensive cleft care and having the ability to live a full and healthy life,” says Susannah Schaefer, President & Chief Executive Officer, Smile Train.

Collaboration with Dentsply Sirona

Produced by Dentsply Sirona in collaboration with Smile Train and boutique agency LINGNER.COM, “Journey of Smiles” features interviews with cleft professionals, caregivers, and the children themselves. The documentary not only addresses the medical aspects of cleft care but also delves into the emotional and social support that is crucial for the well-being of these children.

“This award is tremendously important to us as this documentary was a labor of love. It is one thing to read about the obstacles that children with clefts face, but quite another to witness them first-hand. Cleft care is truly life-changing, and it is thanks to digital technologies that we have been able to advance the quality and access to cleft care significantly. I hope that this award will inspire more support and volunteers to help bring comprehensive cleft care to as many children around the world as possible,” said Mihaela Chidean, Senior Corporate Communications Manager and Partnership & Documentary Development Lead at Dentsply Sirona.

An Impactful Cooperation

The “Journey of Smiles” documentary aims to capture the essence of the five-year partnership Smile Train entered with Dentsply Sirona in 2021. Through this collaboration, Smile Train has funded more than 3,800 cleft surgeries and facilitated the donation of 22 pieces of digital equipment to nine partner centers.

Another milestone of this partnership was the development of the first-ever global standard protocols for digital cleft treatment, in conjunction with FDI World Dental Federation. These protocols were designed to help improve the accuracy and efficacy of current cleft treatments by providing dental professionals with a comprehensive digital clinical approach across all stages of care.  

“We are incredibly honored to receive this award. Globally, 1 in 700 babies are born with a cleft lip and/or palate. Accessing essential treatment can be particularly challenging for families in low-income countries,” said Marion Par Weixlberger, VP, Public Relations & Corporate Communications at Dentsply Sirona. “As part of our sustainability strategy ‘BEYOND: Taking Action for a Brighter World,’ we will continue to support efforts to expand access to comprehensive cleft care. We hope this recognition encourages others to join us in ensuring more children receive the life-changing treatments they need.”

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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.

Press Contacts:

Nicole Bell | Vice President of Public Relations, Smile Train
(807) 787-0877 | nbell@smiletrain.org

Emily Gay | Public Relations Strategist, Smile Train
(561) 308-0089 | egay@smiletrain.org