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Dental professionals interested in volunteering internationally can find current oral health volunteer opportunities, as well as a database of volunteer organizations working to improve oral health, on the American Dental Association’s (ADA) International Volunteer Web page – http://internationalvolunteer.ada.org. Visitors to the site can browse or search for volunteer organizations by country or region served, program type, and/or religious affiliation to find an opportunity tailored according to individual preference. The Web site also provides a guide to international volunteering including how to select an opportunity, preparing for a trip, organizing your dental office before leaving, safety precautions and what to expect upon returning home. A special section of the Web page called The Volunteer Connection lists organizations seeking dentists and dental professionals for volunteer trips in the current year.

In 2009, the ADA Division of Global Affairs launched the International Volunteer Web page, a comprehensive, user-friendly resource for interested oral health professionals to learn about volunteerism and to easily identify a suitable volunteer opportunity with a database of more than 100 volunteer organizations. The quality of the site was recognized with an Association Media & Publishing Silver Excel award.

Visit http://internationalvolunteer.ada.org to find the trip that’s right for you.
Tribute to Dr. Thomas Grams
Dr. Thomas Grams, of Durango, Colorado, was passionate for mission work abroad. And in our International Do-Good Issue, we couldn’t possibly let the opportunity slip to recognize his valiant heroism and compassion. Grams went on more than 30 trips with Global Dental Exhibitions and treated upward of 20,000 children in need of oral care.

In 2007, Dr. Grams retired from his practice in Colorado in order to work in the remote villages of the third-world countries that needed his services the most, particularly the remote villages of Afghanistan.

In 2010, while on a trip, Dr. Grams was killed, by what the Taliban later claimed as its heinous act.

The ADA News reported:
According to press reports and a press release from International Assistance Mission, the bodies of 10 volunteers from its Nuristan Eye Camp team were found in Badakhshan on Aug. 6. Dr. Grams was one of six Americans killed after a two-week health care mission to provide free care to children in remote villages in the Nuristan province, about 160 miles north of Kabul. The health care team had trekked 100 miles in the mountains to set up the clinic.

Encountering death on a volunteer trip is extremely rare, but then again, Dr. Grams lived far from a typical existence. It is here we wish to pause and once again remember and honor Dr. Grams for exemplifying true heroism and charity.– Chelsea Knorr

Reference: http://www.ada.org/news/4568.aspx
Dentaltown Magazine
October 2025
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