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About Us
Mission to Madagascar
Madagascar, a large remote island off the southeast coast of Africa with 22 million people, is one of the poorest countries in the world but is often overlooked by humanitarian organizations because of its isolation.
The annual SDM Dental missions, co-sponsored by the Madagascar Ankizy Fund, began in 2005. Since that time, SDM students and faculty have traveled annually to remote villages of Madagascar, providing first-ever and much needed dental treatment and oral hygiene instruction to the Malagasy people over the course of 3 weeks. The dental teams consist of groups of SDM volunteer dentists and dental students who are committed to providing first-rate dental care. Each trip is dependent upon support from local sponsors, community dentists, and widespread fundraising efforts, to allow students from all socio-economic backgrounds to have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The training that students receive on this mission is unparalleled and the experiences are life-changing.
Mission to Jamaica
Buff Bay, a small seaside community on Jamaica’s northeast coast, where despite a thriving agro-tourism industry, the income of most residents falls below the poverty line, according to a study commissioned by the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute in collaboration with the Jamaica Forestry Department. In fact, many Buff Bay residents can’t afford or lack access to even the most basic oral healthcare. During a weeklong trip working out of a local community clinic care is provided to over 400 patients, most of whom undergo cleanings, extractions, gum surgery, and alveoplasty. Our yearly mission is the only time when the residents there will be able to have treatment. Thus, upon each return visit the residents realize that we are truly there to help and begin to appreciate the important relationship that oral healthcare plays in overall systemic wellbeing.
Read the ADA News Article
This Mission to Madagascar was featured in ADA News for winning the first Zwemer Award in 2013, an award given to dental schools that recognize and encourage programs serving underserved populations outside of the United States.
Read the Stony Brook University Articles
Read more about our missions to Madagascar, Chile, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic as well as hear from former students and faculty who have attended.
Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine
The Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine was established in 1968, with the first class of 24 students graduating in 1977. Today, it has classes of 44 students and over 1,100 graduates. The primary mission of the school is to educate caring and skilled dentists who are well prepared to enter private practice or enter graduate or specialty training programs. It continues to supply the community with dentists who are well educated in the latest technical, biological, and psychological aspects of dental practice. Since its inception, the school has achieved an enviable reputation for the excellence of its educational programs, and has grown tremendously in its offerings of dental education, patient care, basic and translational research, and community service. As part of its community service, the school has international outreach efforts in Cambodia, Chile, Jamaica, Madagascar, the Dominican Republic, and is looking to expand elsewhere!
Mission to Chile
The annual SDM Dental mission to Chile is in collaboration with students and faculty from the Universidad del Desarrollo and from the University of Connecticut (UConn) School of Dental Medicine to provide oral health care in Neltume, Chile, as part of the Friendship and Oral Health (FAOH) Program. The collaboration between SDM, UConn, and the Universidad del Desarrollo leads to the sharing of approaches to therapeutic procedures. Upon arrival to the site in Neltume, students work together to erect a large tent and organize temporary workstations for treatment. Over three hundred adults and children are provided with dental services throughout the weeklong mission. Many of the Chilean patients seen during the weeklong mission use the Friendship and Oral Health Program as their sole dental provider because they trust and love the program so much. Thus, this population often goes extended periods of time without necessary preventive treatment and care when the program isn't running.
