Since 2020, we have had the privilege of partnering with Shining Souls Corp to host multiple dental outreach missions each year. During this time, we have served the children at the orphanage, more than 400 students and teachers at Emmanuel School, and hundreds of individuals from the Bombardopolis community. With almost no access to dental care in the region, the needs are far greater than anyone could imagine. No matter how many hours our missionaries worked providing pro-bono services, the line of patients seeking care was always endless.
What began in 2019 with a single hygienist offering fluoride treatments and standing dental exams has grown into a fully functioning, multi-chair setup powered by solar energy. Thanks to many generous donations, we now have a wide range of materials, tools, and supplies that allow us to treat a variety of patients. In 2022, we received a tremendous upgrade—a handheld X-ray machine and digital sensor—replacing the self-developed film system we attempted in 2020.
God has brought passionate and dedicated dental professionals into our path, and we are endlessly grateful for the work they have done here in Bombardopolis. We look forward with great hope to what God will continue to do through these individuals in the years ahead.
It is our dream to one day provide consistent dental care by building a small clinic where both missionaries and Haitian dental professionals can serve the community regularly. While this project is still in its early planning stages, and many other needs currently take priority at Emmanuel Children’s Center of Bombardopolis Haiti, we trust that the right partners will come alongside us to help this vision become reality.
If you are interested in joining a future mission trip, please fill out the form below, and we will contact you as soon as our next dental outreach is organized. While a dental background is helpful, it is not required—we often need volunteers for many other important tasks, such as assisting with paperwork, setting up equipment, seating and dismissing patients, providing oral health education, engaging the children in activities, and more!
August-September 2025
The goal of this two-week trip was to properly repair an anterior root canal completed in June. A heartfelt thank you to Ultradent for generously donating the materials needed to redo this procedure. Lisa and a local dentist spent over five hours disinfecting, cleaning, and filling the canal to ensure it will last for many years. We are happy to share that the treatment was successful and that Sandro was an excellent patient throughout the process.
During this trip, Lisa also provided prophylaxis, SDF, sealant touch-ups, and varnish for all 39 of our children—including Bender and Berclay, who were home on break from university. Our new children who joined us this summer received their first-ever dental cleaning and much-needed treatment.
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who made this trip possible through donations of essential equipment. Lisa was able to work comfortably using a new saddle chair and a brand-new dental turbine unit, replacing the malfunctioning equipment from the last trip. The new water distiller was also a tremendous help, especially since Haiti’s hard water often clogs dental lines over time.
Thank you for ensuring our children receive the high-quality dental care they deserve.
May-June 2025
This trip came with its fair share of hurdles—from dental needs far beyond what we anticipated, to discovering an abscessed permanent anterior tooth on a nine-year-old, to equipment malfunctioning at the worst moments. Over the course of the week, every child received a prophylaxis, SDF, sealant touch-ups, and varnish. We were grateful to have a local dentist join us for two treatment days, which included extractions, fillings, and an attempted root canal. Unfortunately, we were not fully prepared for a root canal, and our team did the best they could with the limited materials available. We pray the temporary work will hold until Lisa can return with proper supplies.
As always, the children were incredibly brave, cooperative, and so appreciative. We are especially thankful for the new dental sensor donated by a dear friend—it allowed us to diagnose and treatment-plan crucial work for our kids more accurately and efficiently.
September 2024
After a year of anticipation and several attempts that didn’t work out, God finally opened the door for Lisa to return solo for a much-awaited trip to see the kids. She had her hands full, as it had been a year since the children had received a proper cleaning. Many of the children also had urgent dental needs. Thanks to the generous donations of supporters, Lisa was able to partner with a local dentist, who generously offered his help over the course of two days. During this time, Lisa was able to provide each child with a thorough prophylaxis (cleaning), apply Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF), and refresh sealants and fluoride varnish to safeguard their teeth.
Though August is one of the hottest months, Lisa enjoys setting up the dental clinic outside, surrounded by the children. The slight breeze made the atmosphere more pleasant as she worked, and the kids enjoyed the opportunity to watch movies on the iPad, which was cleverly set up above their heads. As a special treat at the end of their appointments, each child received a little surprise, making the experience even more memorable and joyful. Lisa’s visit was not only about dental care, but also about creating moments of fun, connection, and a sense of being truly loved.
July 2023
Our hygienist Lisa has a deep passion for oral health and for serving the children at Emmanuel. During a two-week trip with Frankie, she provided dental cleanings, sealants, and silver diamine fluoride treatments. July is one of the hottest months in Haiti, and the mission house—where the clinic is set up—has a metal roof. To escape the heat, Lisa enjoyed working outside on the patio, surrounded by the children as she cared for them throughout the day.
As she worked through the list of patients, Lisa identified three boys who needed urgent dental care beyond her scope of practice. While there is no dentist in Bombardopolis, she had heard of one in a nearby town. Lisa and Frankie took the boys to see him for extractions, and the kids were so brave!
October 2022
When Lisa and Maria weren’t busy helping Autumn with OT and wheelchair fittings in the community, they were hard at work cleaning the children’s teeth. We also offered services to our staff and hope to include them in the 6-month recall schedule we’ve established for the kids.
This was our first trip operating the clinic on 100% solar power. Hearing multiple machines run smoothly at the same time—with no issues—was truly music to our ears. It reminded us just how far this pop-up dental clinic has come and how much potential it holds to continue serving our community in the future.
Every child received a full dental cleaning, sealant touch-ups, reapplication of silver diamine fluoride when needed, and a fluoride varnish.
2022 Remote Dental Clinic
In 2022, we were given the opportunity to set up a mobile dental clinic in a very remote area at one of our Emmanuel churches in Lariole. Though the team was small, we truly lived out the saying, “teamwork makes the dream work.” By bringing portable dental equipment and a small compressor, we were able to provide dental care to more than 50 adults and children in the community—many of whom were receiving dental care for the very first time.
During this 12+ hour day of service, four of the oldest teens from our orphanage stepped up in remarkable ways. They assisted the two hygienists by helping set up the clinic, seating and dismissing patients, providing dental education, and offering hands-on support wherever needed. One of our core values is teaching our children the importance of serving others, and seeing this value lived out so beautifully by our older teens was truly heartwarming.
It is our hope to continue hosting Mobile Dentistry Days throughout the northwest region of Haiti. With your support, we can keep bringing relief, care, and smiles to some of the most remote communities in the country.
April 2022
We were honored to welcome two dentists, Dr. Stephanie and Dr. Magally from Costa Rica, to our team. They beautifully balanced caring for the children with providing restorative dental work for our teachers and staff at the orphanage. Dr. Stephanie transformed lives by fitting several staff members with dentures—giving them confidence and smiles they had long hoped for.
We were also joined by two dental hygienists, Taylor and Lisa C. from the U.S., who assisted Lisa and Marie with the school-wide dental cleaning mission. Accommodating a team of six dental professionals was a first for us, and for once, we didn’t have enough chairs or clinic space. But everyone remained flexible and adaptable—our hygienists even set up an additional hygiene clinic in an office area on the property.
The team worked tirelessly to make the most of their time, and countless smiles were changed forever on this trip.
March 2022
Over the course of eight weeks, Lisa and Maria worked daily to provide the 443 children of Emmanuel School with their very first dental cleaning. We were grateful to have additional support from our hygienist friend, Anabel, during the first week. Every child received dental sealants, fluoride varnish, and silver diamine fluoride to help arrest areas of decay.
There were many challenging days—times when students were out for testing, not in school, or when the dental clinic lost power—but the team persevered. On their days off, the hygienists enjoyed spending time with the children, doing activities and building relationships.
Completed During This Trip:
• 443 Dental Cleanings
• 443 Fluoride Varnish Applications
• 2,676 Sealants
• 751 Silver Diamine Fluoride Treatments
This mission marked a significant step forward in improving the oral health of our school community.
July 2021
After a year-and-a-half gap due to COVID, Dr. Stephanie was finally able to return to the orphanage to spend several weeks providing essential and urgent dental care for our children. Based on our previous missions, we knew there was a significant amount of restorative work needed. Dr. Stephanie worked long days—and even through the night—to ensure the children received the care they required and that our caregivers also found relief from dental pain.
Hygienists Lisa and Maria provided cleanings and applied sealants for the children, helping to prevent further decay and protect their smiles.
A tremendous blessing also arrived during this trip: a fully equipped dental chair, a complete operatory unit, and our panoramic X-ray machine! Our dental team could hardly wait to unwrap the equipment and put it to use. This marked the beginning of a more ergonomic and functional dental clinic in Bombardopolis, Haiti—something we had prayed for and dreamed of for years.
March 2021
The pandemic caused a long delay in our dental missions, with our last trip taking place in January 2020. During this time, Maria had moved to Emmanuel to care for her child, and Lisa was eager to return to provide much-needed dental care. Together, Lisa and Maria relocated the pop-up clinic to the large mission house, creating a space where the children could play indoors while dental cleanings and sealants were performed.
Over the course of one week, they completed 46 cleanings, placed more than 200 sealants, and—for the first time—applied medicaments to over 100 teeth to halt decay. They also spent two days at the school giving dental presentations and applying fluoride varnish to every student.
When they weren’t busy in the clinic, Lisa and Maria enjoyed time with the children, playing games, doing activities, and building relationships. It was a week filled with both hard work and joyful moments.
January 2020
This was our first official dental mission at Emmanuel with a full team—and God truly orchestrated both the timing and the people who came. We welcomed Dr. Stephanie from Costa Rica, along with hygienists Maria and Lisa from the U.S. The team arrived with two portable dental units, compressors, and an abundance of tools and supplies.
They set up a small clinic inside the office building on the orphanage property. The first day was spent arranging the space and testing the self-developing X-ray film. Dr. Stephanie screened every child and prioritized treatment based on urgency. An overwhelming 99% of the children had visible active decay—most of them seeing a dentist for the very first time.
Dr. Stephanie worked long days and late nights, providing gentle and thorough care to each child. Hygienists Maria and Lisa performed cleanings using whatever tools they had available, often relying on a simple cup of water for the children to swish and spit. It was the kids’ first time receiving dental cleanings, yet they were incredibly brave. They supported one another, stayed patient, and even enjoyed watching the “clinic in action” throughout the day.
This trip marked a beautiful beginning to dental care at Emmanuel—one filled with compassion, teamwork, and God’s unmistakable guidance.
April 2019
This trip marked the beginning of something much greater for the children at the orphanage. It opened our eyes to the overwhelming dental needs they faced and sparked important conversations about how we could better support their oral health moving forward. Maria joined a mission team from the U.S. that came to Emmanuel to work on various projects around the orphanage. As a dental hygienist, she brought just enough supplies to conduct screenings using a headlight and disposable mirrors.
Each child received their very first application of fluoride varnish, along with basic oral hygiene education. Maria then continued on to the school, where she taught oral hygiene lessons in every classroom and applied fluoride varnish to more than 350 students.
This mission laid the foundation for the dental outreach that continues to grow today.
