Amazon Doctors (Doutores da Amazônia) aims to transform access to healthcare for the indigenous population of Brazil, providing modern and advanced care while respecting the cultural heritage and values of each tribe. The partnership between Dentsply Sirona and Amazon Doctors began in 2017. Over the last five years, Dentsply Sirona has donated specialized equipment and materials for the expeditions, with a number of employees also participating as volunteers.
In June 2022, a team of 50 volunteers set off on a three-week expedition to provide medical and dental care to tribes in the Xingu Indigenous Territory. A total of 650 dental consultations were performed during the expedition, including 230 root canals, 126 prostheses, and 156 crowns with the CEREC CAD/CAM system. The next expedition is scheduled for October 2022.
“I believe that we, health professionals, have the duty and obligation to help people who do not have access to adequate health care, using our practical and theoretical knowledge to help make a better world,” said Dr. Caio E. C. L. Machado, founding partner of Amazon Doctors .
With access to state-of-the-art dental equipment and materials donated by Dentsply Sirona – including digital CEREC technology – the volunteers can perform restorations, implants, and endodontic treatments in remote areas of the rainforest. More than 8,000 dental procedures have been carried out since the start of the Amazon Doctors program.
“It's amazing how well aligned the mission of Amazon Doctors is with Dentsply Sirona’s own mission, which is to improve oral health globally. It is a worthy cause to provide care to the indigenous populations here in Brazil,” said Rodrigo Canelhas, RCO Vice President, Dentsply Sirona Latin America.
“Being part of this project fills us with immense pride,” said Tiago Veiga Souza, Marketing Director, Dentsply Sirona Latin America. “Along with the excellent work of Amazon Doctors, our equipment, consumables, and implants technology can provide a service to indigenous people that would perhaps never be possible.”
Taking action to increase access to oral health
Dentsply Sirona’s partnership with Amazon Doctors is part of its wider efforts to increase access to oral health globally and help communities in need – as outlined in the “Healthy Smiles” pillar of the company’s sustainability strategy BEYOND: Taking action for a brighter world.
Dentsply Sirona partners with a variety of organizations around the world, including Amazon Doctors, to bring better oral health and well-being to local communities. Last year, Dentsply Sirona launched a partnership with Smile Train, the world’s largest cleft organization, to provide high-quality cleft care for children, financial support for families, and ongoing clinical education for dental professionals in local communities. Other initiatives include the Nine Miles of Smiles program in Jamaica, where 1,000 patients were treated in 10 days; a partnership with Let Love International to support dentistry clinics in underserved areas of Peru; and an eight-day mission to Uganda with the Build Your Smile Dental Foundation.
For more information about Amazon Doctors, visit https://en.doutoresdaamazonia.org.br/
