1000 Smiles Jamaica
1 week in July 2026 (specific dates TBD)
|Jamaica or Grenada
Abroad, you’ll learn to listen differently, explain more clearly, and treat more compassionately. Those same skills make you the kind of provider who earns trust back home.
Time & Location
1 week in July 2026 (specific dates TBD)
Jamaica or Grenada
About the event
Great Shape! Inc.’s 1000 Smiles Dental Project provides free access to dental care and education to families in the Caribbean.
More than 500 volunteers join to provide people with fillings, cleanings, extractions, sealants, dentures and oral health education in temporary dental clinics and schools. Each week during the project there are some 45-75 volunteers that make up the team.
Dental professionals and non-dental pro’s (family, friends or anyone who has a big heart and wants to help) work out of temporary, MASH-style clinics – using some of the best military-grade mobile equipment.
This is an incredible opportunity to deliver dental care to underserved communities while gaining supervised, hands-on experience in a developing country.
FAQ
Who Can Join/ Fees?
Dentists: $1,150 USD ($975 + $175 fees)
We need a 1:4 instructor-to-student ratio, so we’re looking for licensed dentists to join us.
Hygienists (Jamaica): $1,000 USD ($975 + $25 fees)
Dental Students: $1,000 USD ($950 + $50 fees)
(within your scope of practice e.g., DDS3+ can work independently, DDS1-2 will require supervision)
All Others (Pre-dentals, Admin Volunteers, etc.): $975 USD
Project Fees go to Great Shape! Inc., a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization, and therefore are tax deductible as a donation.
What’s Included?
✅Professional Liability & Travel Insurance
✅ Most Supplies
✅ Government Dental Registration Fees
✅Resort accommodations (10 days, 3 people per room, gender-based) first class, all inclusive.
✅ Transportation to/from the airport and clinic
What is NOT Included?
Flights are not included in these prices!
You must arrive at the airport by the assigned timeline.
The airport you MUST fly into is Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica or “MBJ”. Airfare from the US/Canada to Jamaica can vary from $300 to $900 depending on location, airline and availability. Many airlines provide service to Jamaica.
gloves, hand sanitizer, headlight, and any supplies/instruments of personal choice. All are encouraged, but not required to bring toothbrushes.
What hands on experience will we get?
Dentists, Hygenists, Dental/hygiene students
Temporary dental clinics = Fillings, cleanings, extractions, sealants, dentures and oral health education in
You will only perform procedures within your scope of practice (e.g., DDS3+ can work independently, DDS1-2 will require supervision).
It is going to be a challenging working environment (hot summer weather and limited equipment).
Children and adults come to us for basic dental services including cleanings, fillings, sealants and extractions. While we want to save every tooth possible, the reality is that the greatest need is often an extraction. All types of dentists are welcome. The typical general dentist will perform about 70% extractions and 30% restoratives. We do our best to match up dentists with teams that compliment their skills.
Non-Dental Professional Volunteer (eg. pre-dentals)
Help with various jobs including patient flow, sterilization, radiography, chair side assisting and the education team.
Our fifth team visits schools in the area to promote oral hygiene. Toothbrushes, paste, and floss are also distributed. The education component is considered critical to our long-term goals of sustaining and promoting healthier teeth and gums.
Do we need to bring our own equipment?
The clinic does not have lights or X-rays (limited), so bring your loupes.
No need to bring equipment (except gloves and wipes) I will coordinate closer to the date to bring any needed supplies.
You can bring your own favorite instruments (not required to donate them, and sterilization is available).
gloves, hand sanitizer, headlight, and any supplies/instruments of personal choice. All are encouraged, but not required to bring toothbrushes.
Schedule
In general, work is 8-5 M-F while evenings and weekends offer free time. First Sundays of each project are set aside for orientation and set up.
day 1 - Friday arrive in Jamaica - Relax
day 2 - Saturday - Relax
day 3 - Sunday - ORIENTATION
day 4 - Monday 8 AM drive to clinic (9am - 5pm treatments in clinic)
day 5 - tues 8 AM drive to clinic (9am - 5pm treatments in clinic)
day 6 - wed 8 AM drive to clinic (9am - 5pm treatments in clinic)
day 7 - thur 8 AM drive to clinic (9am - 5pm treatments in clinic)
day 8 - fri 8 AM drive to clinic (9am - 5pm treatments in clinic)
day 9 - sat - relax
day 10 - sun - relax
Why should I go?
The work is challenging and rewarding. After a long, hard day in the field, you’ll experience fun and friendship in the relaxing luxury of Sandals and Beaches All-Inclusive Resorts. While the primary purpose is to help those in need, there is plenty of cross-cultural interaction, learning and free time.
Build Cultural Sensitivity & Humility
Treating patients across language and cultural barriers teaches doctors to listen differently and respect diverse values. These skills directly improve care for immigrants, refugees, and Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Sharpen Clinical Adaptability
Learning to provide care with minimal equipment abroad trains doctors to adapt in resource-limited settings, making them better equipped for rural and underserved Canadian communities.
Strengthen Empathy & Reconnect to Purpose
Serving patients with no other options rekindles compassion and a sense of responsibility, reducing burnout and producing doctors who practice with more humanity back home.
📌 For more information check this link:
Each year, these humanitarian heroes travel to Jamaica from all across the USA, Canada, Jamaica, the UK and beyond to help people in great need.
The work is challenging and rewarding. After a long, hard day in the field, you’ll experience fun and friendship in the relaxing luxury of Sandals and Beaches All-Inclusive Resorts. While the primary purpose is to help those in need, there is plenty of cross-cultural interaction, learning and free time.
In the process, we find that we the volunteers receive far more from the project than we can ever give. We ask each volunteer to join with an open heart, a good sense of humor, a willingness to learn and the ability to “go with the flow”.
The purpose of this project can be spelled out in four letters: L-O-V-E!
In Jamaica, they have a saying: “One Love” – which simply means we are all brothers and sisters in the highest spiritual sense. That is why we care – that is why we come.
