Reaching the unreachable: How community-based oral health projects are transforming remote communities worldwide

In the most remote corners of the world, where mountains, oceans, borders, and climate create barriers to care, oral health is often overlooked. Yet, for children unable to sleep because of tooth pain, parents who have never seen a dentist, or elders facing undiagnosed oral disease, access to care can be life-changing.

Over the years, FDI’s World Dental Development Fund (WDDF), with the support of Shofu, has invested in community-based oral health projects that do more than deliver services. These initiatives meet people where they are, geographically, culturally, and socially, empowering remote and underserved communities to build healthier futures. 

From indigenous territories in Central America to island nations in the United States, from rural Africa to the Himalayas, a common thread connects these projects: local engagement, cultural respect, and sustainable impact.

Discover below some of the WDDF-funded projects over the years.

Costa Rica (2019): Care across borders and coffee fields

In the southern canton of Coto Brus, nearly 300 kilometers from Costa Rica’s capital, the Ngäbe Buglé indigenous people live and work across borders. Many families migrate seasonally from Panama to Costa Rica to harvest coffee, often settling temporarily in precarious conditions with little access to healthcare.

The “Oral Health Protection Project for Vulnerable Indigenous Population of Coto Brus” initiative reached deep into these communities, inside indigenous territories, on coffee farms, at migration border posts, and in “Houses of Joy” dedicated to children. The project served far more than initially planned, reaching 1,828 people ranging from infants to elders.

For children in transit and families constantly on the move, oral healthcare became a rare constant, bringing relief from pain, education for prevention, and dignity to populations often invisible to health systems.

Chile (2021): Smiles beyond the horizon

In the rural outskirts of Tiltil, Chile, distance and harsh climate pose daily challenges. Yet through Comunidad Sonrisas 2.0, a mobile and community-based dental programme, care reached children who would otherwise go untreated.

Despite geographic isolation, 504 vulnerable children received care, with 410 completing comprehensive dental treatment, a remarkable achievement in a setting where follow-up care is notoriously difficult. Over 2,500 dental procedures were delivered, alongside meaningful engagement with parents and teachers.

This project proved that even in remote, climate-challenged regions, continuity of care is possible when services are designed around community realities.

Nigeria (2020): When culture becomes the classroom

In Igboora and Ibarapa, Nigeria, WDDF supported an innovative approach led by the University of Ibadan to oral health education; one rooted not in clinics, but in culture.

Traditional rhymes and folk songs were transformed into tools for teaching children and teenagers how to care for their teeth. By embedding oral hygiene messages into familiar melodies and language, learning became joyful, memorable, and culturally resonant.

The project demonstrated that health education does not always require sophisticated equipment. Sometimes, the most powerful tools are already part of the community’s heritage.

United States (2022): Building a dental home on ancestral land

On Martha’s Vineyard, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) cares for ancestral lands while striving to meet the health needs of its people. Geographic isolation, limited services, and historical inequities have made access to oral health care a persistent challenge.

Through partnerships with the Tribe and Harvard School of Dental Medicine, WDDF funding supported a comprehensive, culturally sensitive approach: oral health education, screenings at tribal POW WOWs, disease risk assessment, and the groundwork for a sustainable dental clinic.

Rather than offering short-term care alone, the project focused on building a tribally owned dental home, reinforcing sovereignty, trust, and long-term health equity.

Nepal (2023): Empowering schools, strengthening communities

High in Nepal’s Mugu district, where access to dental professionals is limited, schools became the heart of oral health promotion.

Teachers and health assistants were trained as Oral Health Champions, ensuring knowledge would remain long after the project ended. Supervised daily toothbrushing programmes reached the majority of enrolled students, while adults in the community gained essential awareness about oral disease and nutrition.

By the project’s end, over 70 per cent of children and community members demonstrated increased understanding of oral hygiene, and local capacity had been firmly established, proof that sustainable change begins with education.

A shared vision: Health without distance

Across continents and cultures, these WDDF-funded projects show that remoteness does not have to mean exclusion. When communities are engaged as partners, when culture is respected, and when sustainability is prioritized, oral health becomes a gateway to broader well-being.

These initiatives remind us that every smile matters no matter how far from the nearest city it may be.

Organizations and institutions seeking to create lasting impact in underserved and remote communities are invited to apply for support through FDI’s World Dental Development Fund. The current call for applications is open until 15 June 2026, offering an opportunity to turn innovative, community-driven ideas into sustainable oral health solutions worldwide.

The FDI World Dental Development Fund is supported by Shofu