July 1, 2022
In May 2022, 15 Aspen Dental® network doctors and team members traveled to San Martín Jilotepeque, Guatemala to provide free dental care to more than 600 children without access to quality, affordable care. This trip is part of Aspen Dental’s Healthy Mouth Movement, a community giving initiative launched in 2014 to break down barriers and bring better dental care to more people in communities around the world.
Aspen Dental® Brings Free Dental Care to Children in San Martín Jilotepeque, Guatemala
“Unfortunately, in so many communities the combination of COVID-19, lack of access to technology and high costs means dental care has been unavailable to many of these children for most, if not all, of their lives,” said Lauren McDonough, DMD, vice president, practice owner development, Aspen Dental, who led the trip to Guatemala. “Each one of these children has a story and a future – to be able to be a small part of their story and alleviate pain or provide preventative care to impact their overall health is a true privilege.”
“When you have any kind of pain in your teeth or mouth, it’s challenging because it can impact eating, drinking and other basic, critical needs,” said Amel Rassoul, DMD, one of the dentists who participated in the trip and provided care. “We truly want to give them the best care possible and show them small ways to maintain their oral hygiene to improve their overall health.”
Aspen Dental’s network of nearly 1,000 doctor-owned practices is intentionally located in areas with underserved populations with the goal of expanding access to quality, affordable dental care, meeting patients where they are and treating their unique challenges and needs.
Since the launch of Aspen Dental’s Healthy Mouth Movement in 2014, doctors and their dental care teams from nearly 1,000 Aspen Dental-branded offices have donated more than $26 million in dentistry services to nearly 35,000 veterans and people in need, around the world. For more information about the Healthy Mouth Movement, visit HealthyMouthMovement.com.