International Dentistry

We believe that all people deserve quality oral health care no matter where they live.

International Oral Health Efforts

PDS Foundation partners with dental schools and non-governmental organizations to support several annual service trips to Clínica Dental in Xenacoj, Guatemala. This support helps enable year-round care for the people of Guatemala.

Volunteer Opportunities for Dental Students

Through our partnership with Clínica Dental in Xenacoj, Guatemala, we help dental schools participate in regular service trips to learn and provide support to local staff.

If you are interested in participating in a service trip, inquire below.

Grants Offered to Dental Student Groups

PDS Foundation offers grants to dental student groups to support international service trips to Clínica Dental.

If you are interested in grant opportunities, inquire below.

Our Partners

We have a longstanding partnership with the University of the Pacific and host multiple service trips to Clínica Dental with students and faculty to provide opportunities for hands-on learning and service activities.

Learn more below.

Clínica Dental in Guatemala

Guatemala does not have enough dentists. This shortage paired with the country’s high-sugar diet and lack of education about proper oral health practices, makes dental disease a serious problem.

PDS Foundation opened Clínica Dental in Xenacoj, Guatemala in 2015. It’s staffed by a full-time team of professionals who educate patients about the Mouth-Body Connection.

With the help of the PDS Foundation, Dr. Rodrigo Letona Barillas and his team developed educational materials to encourage regular dental visits to benefit patients’ overall health.

Explore the PDS Foundation's Clínica Dental

A Legacy of Service in Ethiopia

For ten years, PDS Foundation led trips to the Tigray region of Ethiopia to provide donated dental care. Partnering with the Relief Society of Tigray, the Ethiopian government, and the University of Mekelle Dental School, we helped make quality oral health care available year-round in the region and launched several more partnerships across the globe.

A Legacy of Service in Fiji

The Mission at Natuvu Creek has been offering donated dental care for more than 25 years. The PDS Foundation joined the effort from 2011-2019, providing treatment to adult and pediatric patients and traveling to local schools to provide oral hygiene instructions and fluoride treatment to students to support more sustainable care.

Providing dentistry at the PDS Foundation Clínica Dental in Xenacoj was a superb experience for our students. They really enjoyed the chance to help patients who were in pain and truly appreciated the gratitude shown to them by the Guatemalan patients. For many students it was a true transformative experience.

- Dr. Raymond Scott, Associate Professor of Endodontics at University of Pacific