We bring smiles worldwide.

The Oral Health International Foundation funds dental projects that bring healthy, confident smiles to communities in need worldwide. Since 1986, your support has helped transform lives through access to essential oral care.

Give a Smile

How It All Started

In 1985, the Foundation of the Pierre Fauchard Academy was established to provide dental student scholarships and project grants that advanced the dental profession.

Fernando Brenes-Espinach, DDS

During World War II, General Robert Shira, DDS, served at Gorgas Hospital in the Panama Canal Zone, where he met Dr. Fernando Brenes-Espinach of Costa Rica through the Federación Odontológica de Centroamérica y Panamá. Their shared commitment to improving oral health laid the groundwork for the Foundation’s global mission. When Dr. Brenes-Espinach passed in 1995, he left the majority of his estate to the Foundation to fund grants in dentistry and oral medicine, a gift that continues to change lives today.

Dental Student Scholarships

From 1996 to 2024, the Foundation awarded annual scholarships to dental students across the United States and around the world, providing more than $2.5 million in financial support. In 2025, the scholarship program was paused to meet the growing global need for community-based oral health initiatives.

Multiple patients receiving dialysis treatment at a clinic, seated in chairs with medical staff attending to them, inside a well-lit medical facility.

Share A Smile Grants Program

The Foundation’s first grant in 1995 provided mouthguards for athletes competing in the Special Olympics. Since then, we have awarded more than 850 grants totaling over $6 million, helping trusted organizations deliver dental care to underserved communities around the world.

A New Chapter

In 2025, to reflect our expanded international mission, the organization’s name became the Oral Health International Foundation. Our commitment remains the same — to create a world where everyone has access to the care they need for a healthy, confident smile.

Five stylized human figures holding hands with a heart above them.

Scholarships for Students

$2,886,162.00

Two hands holding a blue heart.

Grants Awarded

$5,921,817.32

A blue heart coming out of an open box, symbolizing giving or caring.

People Helped

1 Million +

Two young girls smiling at the camera at a crowded outdoor event, with one girl waving and the other resting her hand on her friend's shoulder.
An elderly woman with dark hair, wearing a headscarf and a light patterned top, holding a toothbrush near her open mouth outdoors with green foliage in the background.
A nurse in scrubs and a mask performs dental surgery on a young child lying on a medical bed, while a woman nearby holds the child's hand and watches intently.
Two young girls, one older and one younger, embracing in a colorful indoor setting with decorated walls and tables.
A healthcare worker wearing blue gloves and purple scrubs administering a vaccination to a man seated in a chair, with a woman smiling beside them. The man is wearing a white bib and sitting in a textured chair.
Smiling young girl with braided hair at an indoor event, with other children in the background.