TdB (Turma do Bem)

TdB (Turma do Bem) is working to transform oral healthcare. Through its Dentista do Bem (Dentist for Good) programme, children from low-income families are provided with free dental care until the age of 18. The programme selects young people in public schools for treatment if they are below the poverty line, seeking employment and have poor oral health. A main feature of the business model is its effectiveness and high social return, with low cost. The office in São Paulo follows up all cases and forwards the results to municipal coordinators, so dentists see how they are affecting the lives of these young people.

TdB mobilization activities and its network of dentists change public policies by distributing oral hygiene kits, encouraging the production of generic toothpaste, and others efforts. TdB aims to provide poor people with access to the best tools in a dentist’s toolkit: toothpaste, toothbrush and dental floss.

Dentista do Bem is the largest volunteer dentistry programme in the world (17,100 volunteers), creating recognition and incentives for dentists who participate. Some 71,100 people have been impacted by its work. In addition, its innovative management model guarantees an excellent use of resources: TdB is one of the five organizations with the greatest social impact in the world. Based on its experience in 14 countries, social exclusion due to lack of oral hygiene is widespread throughout the world. Thus, TdB has no limits on its growth. It can expand to any region with private dental clinics and at least one volunteer dentist. Its allies are: dentists, who can become volunteers; the press, which brings this discussion to society; the supporters of the dental industry interested in the relationship with this network of dentists; and the awards that channel our work, bringing credibility.