Smiles for life Program
The Challenge
Oral health challenges in rural Vietnam are both severe and widespread, especially among schoolchildren and remote communities. A comprehensive study in rural highland areas found that 41.1% of secondary school children had dental caries in primary teeth, while 68.9% suffered from decay in permanent teeth, highlighting the urgent need for preventive care (Chuyen et al. 2021). In Da Nang, one study revealed that 96.5% of children aged three to five had at least one carious lesion, underscoring a critical gap in early oral health (Edberg & Sjöberg 2015). In Lao Cai, children in remote mountainous areas bear an alarmingly high burden of untreated tooth decay, particularly in primary teeth. The overall prevalence of dental caries was 91.4% with 57.4% of children affected in permanent teeth and 82.2% in primary teeth (Hoa et al. 2025).
Vietnam’s overall burden of oral disease—including untreated caries and periodontal problems—remains alarmingly high and reflects systemic challenges in preventive and restorative care (WHO 2022).
This situation is compounded by uneven access to dental services. Professional dental care is heavily concentrated in urban centres, while rural and mountainous areas remain underserved (Sidhu et al. 2024). Structural barriers such as geographic isolation, a shortage of trained dental professionals, and reliance on problem-driven rather than preventive care exacerbate inequalities. Economic constraints further restrict access: many families cannot afford preventive treatment or the cost of travelling to clinics (Sidhu et al. 2024).
The result is a cycle of inadequate treatment, reliance on tooth extraction over restoration, and persistent suffering among children in isolated regions. Untreated oral disease not only causes pain but also interferes with school attendance, nutrition, and overall wellbeing, limiting children’s potential to thrive both academically and socially.
Our solution
Our Impact
In 2023, co-founder William Pham launched the Smiles for Life Initiative and led efforts to secure in-kind donations from Colgate Palmolive, Henry Schein and private donors in the United States to expand our impact and deepen our commitment to oral health education. In our early days, we focus on addressing immediate needs through the distribution of essential supplies. As we worked alongside schools and families, it became clear that lasting health improvements also depended on health and hygiene education as well as access to clean water and basic infrastructure. In response, our program evolved into a comprehensive framework that integrates education and supply distribution with STEM-based infrastructure projects—such as building rainwater-harvesting systems to expand clean water access. Through this expanded model, we equip children and families not only with knowledge and hygiene materials, but also with the physical resources necessary to sustain long-term health and well-being. Since 2023, GKIA has supported over 923 children and families with immediate resources across five underserved communities in Vietnam. The projects not only provided immediate relief through supply distribution but also promoted sustainable behavior change. With the introduction of health and hygiene education, young children were taught how to care for their teeth and bodies, we helped reduce preventable illness, improve confidence, and support better school participation. For many families, these dental and hygiene care packages were their first introduction to structured dental and hygiene care—an important step toward healthier futures.
In 2023, we distributed dental and hygiene care packages—including age-appropriate toothbrushes, fluoridated toothpaste, and hand soaps—to 313 students ages 5–10 at Ama Trang Lơng Primary School in Cư M’gar District. Alongside the distribution, our team led hands-on interactive sessions on proper toothbrushing and flossing techniques, daily hygiene routines, oral prevention and diseases, fostering both foundational knowledge and lifelong health-promoting behaviors.
In 2024, we continued these efforts by supplying dental and hygiene care packages to 460 children and families in Buôn Đôn District, Đắk Lắk Province.
In 2025, we provided dental and hygiene care packages to 150 children and families at Sin Chéng High School in Lào Cai Province. These border regions are among the most disadvantaged areas in their respective provinces and are home to large ethnic minority populations experiencing some of the highest poverty rates.
As our program evolves, the Green Kites International Association is advancing a comprehensive, education-centered approach—prioritizing oral health education while also expanding access to essential resources and supportive infrastructure for communities with limited hygiene and dental care. By integrating hygiene education and supply distribution with our STEM infrastructure projects—such as building rainwater-harvesting systems to expand access to clean water—we work to equip children and families with the resources, knowledge, and tools needed to protect their health and well-being. This comprehensive framework establishes a replicable system that can be extended to additional schools and underserved regions in Vietnam. We began this comprehensive framework at Sin Chéng Primary School (serving 50 students and 12 staff members) and have since created a ripple effect, expanding the model to Phan Bội Chau Primary School, (serving 55 students and 11 staff members), Đắk Lắk Province and Quan Hồ Thẩn Commune Kindergarten No. 2, Lào Cai Province (serving 80 students and 23 staff members).
Our partners
- Đắk Lắk – Buôn Đôn District – Local Communities: Partnered with Dak Lak Charity Association to reach underprivileged border communities and ensure equitable access to resources.
- Đắk Lắk – Ama Trang Lơng Primary School: Collaborated directly with the school to distribute dental and hygiene care packages
- Lào Cai – Sin Chéng Primary & High School: Worked with school administrators and teachers to build the first rainwater-harvesting system in the primary school area and started the first education combined with distribution of dental & health hygiene supplies in the high school area.
- Lào Cai – Quan Hồ Thẩn Commune Kindergarten No. 2: Collaborating directly with the school to integrate education, distribution of dental & health hygiene supplies and rainwater-harvesting system (Incomplete/current project)
- Đắk Lắk – Phan Bội Châu Primary School: Collaborating directly with the school to integrate education, distribution of dental & health hygiene supplies and rainwater-harvesting system (Incomplete/current project)
- Henry Schein – donated over $1,000 worth of toothbrushes to our program.
- Colgate Palmolive – donated over $1,000 worth of toothpastes to our program.
- Kidz Dentistry and Springdale Kidz Dentistry, PLLC Provided support staff and health professionals to train and assist our team members with the program
References
Chuyen, N.V., Du, V.V., Ba, N.V., Long, D.D. & Son, H.A. (2021) The prevalence of dental caries and associated factors among secondary school children in rural highland Vietnam, BMC Oral Health, 21:349. doi:10.1186/s12903-021-01704-y.
Edberg, J. & Sjöberg, L. (2015) Dental caries prevalence among 3- and 5-year old children in Da Nang, Vietnam, Bachelor’s thesis, Jönköping University.
Hoa, LTT, Tue, PX, Vinh, HT, Duong, TTT, Dung, LTK. Determinants of dental caries among primary school children in a mountainous region of Northern Vietnam. Front Oral Health. 2025 Oct 3;6:1675274. doi: 10.3389/froh.2025.1675274. PMID: 41113803; PMCID: PMC1251259.
Sidhu, H.K., Randhawa, G.S. & Kaur, G. (2024) Evaluating rural dental health disparities and their effects on community well-being: A statistical review of access and utilization, International Journal of Dental Sciences and Research, 12(3), pp. 41–52. doi:10.12691/ijdsr-12-3-2.
World Health Organization (2022) Global oral health status report: country oral health profile – Viet Nam, WHO, published 18 November 2022. Available at: WHO oral health country profiles (Accessed: 18 August 2025).
