Made the front page of Mormon Newsroom:

(Here is the link)

Volunteers Provide Dental 

Service to Needy Children

The project has helped countless children for several years

A dental evaluation was recently carried out in the Municipal Gardens for Children program sponsored by Guatemala City to serve homeless or street children from 2 to 14 years old who do not have access to traditional schools.

United States Volunteers, under the direction of missionaries serving in Guatemala as missionaries to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , came to help the local dental clinic of Uncle John to complete exams of about 400 children . This health project has been carried out over the last eight years and has significantly improved the dental hygiene of the children cared for there.

A greater emphasis on preventive oral health care at school and on annual assessments has markedly reduced the number of children in need of advanced dental care. School children have the opportunity to have a positive interaction with a dentist in a friendly environment where they receive tooth cleaners, sealants and fillers that prevent the main dental work later. Its goal is to raise awareness about oral health.

The success of the program was evident when many of the children examined were caries free.

The Tio Juan orphanage along with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have maintained the operation of the clinic since 2009 and have provided free dental care to thousands of students.

It is funded by several entities such as the Hogar Tío Juan Orphanage and the Latter Day Saints Academy of Dentists. Church volunteer missionaries serve in the clinic daily with other volunteer dentists from the United States who come in several occasions to help.

Elder Rick Smith, one of the missionary dentists, commented: " Uncle John's Dental Clinic was built nearly 10 years ago with humanitarian aid from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Volunteer work was provided by the community and full-time missionaries. Our purpose is to provide care to those without families and those with low-income families who can not provide for themselves. We also take care of the missionaries as they serve the Lord by preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We strive to follow the Savior's warning, "... as soon as ye did it unto one of these my little brethren, even to me did ye ... " ( Matthew 25:40 ).