At SprintRay, our mission includes innovating dental 3D printing to meet dental professionals’ unique needs and make dental care more accessible. We’re dedicated to supporting worldwide dental health and are excited to share about our outreach efforts in Jamaica.
In July, we partnered with the Usain Bolt Foundation to support the Jamaica Dental Mission and their team of volunteers in providing care and preventative education to over 800 patients in the Kew Park and Flankers neighborhoods. The closest dental clinic in this community is up to 1-1.5 hours away, and due to the pandemic suspending travel, many in the region had gone years without a check-up.
The dedicated team of volunteering dentists, dental students, hygienists, and general volunteers were able to use our 3D printing technology to efficiently fabricate complete and partial dentures on demand to meet the needs of the community members. Here are some of their stories:
Many of the patients, like Joan, pictured here, expressed how grateful they were for the presence of the outreach volunteers and clinics. Joan got scanned for partial dentures and knew she
would soon have a smile to enjoy. With the patients’ trust, the volunteers were even more motivated and inspired to work long hours to ensure everyone received treatment and care.
The patient load was overwhelming for a few dentists to see on their own, so everyone who could be taught how to do specific tasks was trained to help. Just before this picture, Scott Evans, Project Consultant for SprintRay Foundation, had adjusted and delivered the patient’s dentures to where they fit perfectly and were comfortable to wear. The success of this trip was only possible with every volunteer going all in.
After going years with no teeth, we delivered this patient his first complete set of dentures. His first words after having the dentures put in and adjusted were, “Hey, ladies!”
Outreach efforts like these would only be possible with the local volunteers from the Jamaica Ministry of Health and the Rotary Club of Savanna La Mar. Here, a smaller team of a digital scanning representative, a dental student, a Jamaican oral surgeon, and an American general dentist are photographed with a woman who previously had nothing to smile or chew with for over 5 years. As soon as she saw her new smile in the mirror, her eyes lit up with joy to the point of tears.
Here’s a big thanks and appreciation from SprintRay to the 2023 Outreach Team: Dr. Biney Thomas, Dr. Laxman Kumar, Alesha Snell, Dr. Josh Nagao , Demola Falade , Jef Schwalbe, Marissa Larson, Scott Evans, Ariana, Kayla, and Keaton.
An Incredible Team Backed by Industry-Leading Technology
* The remaining dentures will be delivered to all patients in the near future.
As more dentists adopt 3D dental technology globally, we are optimistic that more communities in need will have full access to high-quality dental care and treatment. The same-day, personalized treatments listed above would not have been possible without digital oral scanning, 3D printing software that is easy to learn, and biocompatible materials designed for digital dentistry.
More importantly, without the willingness and expertise of our volunteers, our partnership with the Bolt Foundation and the Jamaica Dental Mission, as well as support from The University of the West Indies, Jamaican Dental Association, Leixir, Henry Schein Cares, Medit, Arkema/Sartomer, and of course, SprintRay Key Experts and Health Care Experts as sponsors, these patients would still be waiting for smiles. Thank you to everyone who makes this outreach possible!
Jamaica Dental Mission is in the process of planning 2024 outreach, which will occur July 20 -27, 2024.