Sonrisas para la Quinta ("Smiles" for Families affected by the wild-fires of fifth region of Chile)

Sonrisas para la Quinta ("Smiles" for Families affected by the wild-fires of fifth region of Chile)

Supporting low-income communities becomes even more relevant in crisis situations. The thousands of families affected by the recent fires in the areas of Viña del Mar, Quilpué, and Villa Alemana have experienced the loss of fundamental elements that constitute human dignity. Among these losses are dental prostheses, the use of which affects not only vital functions of the stomatognathic system, such as chewing, speaking, and swallowing, but also aspects of sociability and psychology, all of which are related to the overall well-being of individuals.

Additionally, considering the urgent needs in terms of food, housing, and basic resources, it is anticipated that these dental needs will not be the current priority for the affected individuals. This is compounded by the difficulty of access to dental care for people with limited resources, as well as the economic costs involved in opting for private healthcare alternatives.

Given the above, a voluntary dental project was planned and executed to carry out multiple actions aimed at providing dental prostheses for around 60 people affected by the fires.

We assembled a group of over 50 volunteer dentists, dental lab technicians, and dental technicians who dedicated their time to assisting individuals who lost their homes (and dental prostheses) during the February 2024 wildfires.

Free treatments were provided for more than 50 patients, including periodontal treatments, restorative procedures, and extractions, ultimately leading to the fabrication of removable prostheses for each of the patients who lost their previous prostheses due to the fires.