Services We Support
Children born with clefts need more than just surgery. They may also need nutritional support, dental care, orthodontic treatment, and speech therapy.
Treating the Whole Patient
Smile Train believes in treating the whole patient through programs that provide access to quality surgery and other comprehensive cleft care services.
Comprehensive cleft care includes essential treatments beyond cleft surgery, such as nutrition services, orthodontic and general dental care, speech therapy, and emotional support, all intended to ensure our patients' long-term, successful rehabilitation.
Medical Procedures and Therapy
Cleft Surgeries
Smile Train supports 100%-free cleft surgeries for children whose families could not afford it otherwise.
Speech Therapy
Even after surgery, many children with clefts will often need specialized services to address the lingering effects of their cleft on their speech.
Nutrition Services
Nutrition is the first intervention children with clefts need, as surgery cannot be safely performed on a malnourished child.
Dental And Orthodontics
Missing, small, extra, and crooked teeth are common in cleft patients, even after surgery. Dental services are therefore vital to our patients' full rehabilitation.
Emotional Support
Even after surgery, children with clefts may have visible scars and speech impediments that can make them feel stigmatized. Counseling and mental health support are crucial to healing from a cleft.
Empowering Local Doctors
Training
Smile Train provides essential training and educational opportunities to cleft surgeons, anesthetists, nurses, and related medical professionals around the world. Since 1999, we have sponsored tens of thousands of scholarships, surgical training resources, workshops, and symposiums.
Equipment
Smile Train provides our partners the essential equipment and supplies for safe, high-quality cleft surgery, including pulse oximeters, sutures and cleft surgical instruments, operating rooms, and much more.
Technology
Smile Train has played a vital role in developing some of the most cutting-edge advances in cleft care, including our award-winning Virtual Surgery Simulator and our speech therapy app, “Speech Games & Practice”.
Building & Maintaining A Community
Educating The Public
Smile Train raises awareness about clefts through our domestic and international public service announcements, advisory bodies, network of partner hospitals, volunteers, government institutions, and the media.
Finding Those In Need
Smile Train launches patient outreach campaigns to reach children even in the most remote areas. Our methods include radio advertisements and programs, flyers, local newspaper ads, media articles and stories, collaborations with government institutions and other organizations for patient referrals, social media, SMS/text message alerts, and more.
Financial Aid
For some patients, even if the cleft surgery is 100% free, the cost of getting to or from the hospital can make it inaccessible. We have special programs that give small allowances for out-of-pocket costs such as travel, lodging, and food that make cleft treatment possible for those who need it most.