Dentsply Sirona, Smile Train Partnering Up to Support Cleft Care for Children

Plenty of things have been happening this week at Denstply Sirona World 2021, including great live entertainment, innovative product launches and strategic partnership announcements that look to make the global dental manufacturing power even bigger and better going forward. But none of that news is as heartwarming and as potentially impactful as the announcement that the company is launching a 5-year partnership with Smile Train to support safe and quality cleft care for children around the world.

Globally, 1 in 700 babies are born with a cleft lip and/or palate. Clefts can have devastating effects on the quality of life of a child, both physically by compromising the ability to communicate and to eat properly and from social stigma resulting in feelings of anxiety and a lack of self-confidence. A child with a cleft requires more than just surgery. Essential cleft care includes nutrition programs, dental and orthodontic care, speech therapy, and social and emotional support.

Smile Train’s sustainable model empowers local medical professionals to provide free cleft surgery and essential cleft care in their own communities. That’s why Dentsply Sirona is launching this partnership with Smile Train to improve oral health globally and to build a brighter, more sustainable future for children and families affected by cleft worldwide.

The company is going beyond traditional financial and equipment donations. The Dentsply Sirona and Smile Train partnership will advance the future of cleft care by:

• Supporting global treatment standards and best practices for digitized cleft care
• Leveraging digital technologies to make treatments more efficient and convenient for children
• Providing high quality equipment to develop state-of-the-art centers for cleft treatment
• Making our entire online catalog of clinical education courses available to all Smile Train oral health professionals
• Offering financial support for cleft surgeries.

The company is focused on making sure the benefits of its Smile Train partnership have a lasting impact. Therefore, in addition to funding life-changing cleft surgeries and providing free dental equipment, the collaboration focuses on global, oral healthcare training initiatives to equip people in local communities with the skills needed to provide treatment and raise the standard of care to the highest level through Clinical Education and the use of cutting-edge technologies in the long term.

Additionally, the partnership includes the development of an International Smile Train Scholars program, which will support in-person and virtual training and learning opportunities for Smile Train dental partners. A group of 16 scholars are attending DS World 2021, participating in clinical education sessions and growing their professional networks.

“Our partnership with Smile Train will help children around the world gain access to cleft treatment and offer them the chance to live a happy and healthy life. By also focusing on global treatment standards and best practices, donating innovative technology, and supporting the training and development of local healthcare professionals, the partnership will have an empowering impact on communities and will provide access to the best possible cleft care, for years to come,” says Jorge Gomez, CFO and head of Dentsply Sirona’s Sustainability program “Beyond”. “Smile Train’s focus on comprehensive cleft care and community empowerment is inspiring. We are incredibly proud to partner with them to support their life-changing work.”

“We are pleased to welcome Dentsply Sirona on board as a corporate partner. This 5-year partnership comes at a pivotal moment for Smile Train and will help advance the future of cleft care by supporting global treatment standards and best practices for digitalized cleft orthodontics,” adds Susannah Schaefer, President & Chief Executive Officer, Smile Train. “We are grateful for Dentsply Sirona’s generous support and look forward to working together to raise awareness about and deepen our impact around cleft.”