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The NGO Turma do Bem launched a mega dental screening this Tuesday (28) in 156 Brazilian cities to select young people aged 11 to 17 who need free dental treatment. The organization has a network of 19,000 volunteer dentists in 12 countries and offers full follow-up until adulthood in the professionals’ private clinics. To participate, simply go to the service points with an ID and proof of residence, accompanied by a guardian.
An NGO with 19,000 volunteer dentists spread across 12 countries has opened registrations in 156 Brazilian cities to do what the public health system alone cannot: offer complete free dental treatment to young people in situations of social vulnerability. Turma do Bem, which is carrying out the action, began the screening this Tuesday (28) in a national mobilization called “Mega Dental Screening,” focused on adolescents aged 11 to 17 who have serious oral health problems and cannot afford a private dentist.
The goal is to ensure that financial conditions do not impede access to oral health. The young people selected during the screening receive complete follow-up and free dental treatment until they reach adulthood, with care provided in the private clinics of the volunteer dentists. This model relieves the waiting lists at public health centers and ensures agility in more urgent cases. The NGO expects to refer more than 5,000 new patients for treatment this year.
How the screening works and who can participate
According to information released by ndmais, the mega screening takes place simultaneously in 156 Brazilian cities and is aimed at adolescents aged 11 to 17 who need comprehensive dental care. To participate, interested individuals must go to the service points accompanied by a guardian, bringing an ID and proof of residence. The specific addresses and times for each city are available on Turma do Bem’s official website.
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The focus is on young people who have more severe oral health problems and live in situations of social vulnerability. The screening evaluates the dental condition of each candidate and selects those most in need of intervention, prioritizing cases of pain, infection, and functional impairment that affect eating, sleeping, and school performance. In 2025, almost half of the young people evaluated in similar actions reported feeling pain at the time of care, highlighting the urgency of the interventions.
Complete treatment until adulthood in private clinics
The differential of Turma do Bem is that the selected young people are not referred to health centers with months-long waiting lists. Care is provided in the private clinics of the 19,000 volunteer dentists who are part of the NGO’s network, ensuring access to equipment, materials, and treatment conditions equivalent to those of paying patients. The follow-up extends until the young person turns 18.
The model is sustainable because it distributes patients among thousands of professionals, each attending to a small number of cases. The individual workload per dentist is manageable, and the collective impact is massive: with 19,000 volunteers in 12 countries, the NGO can absorb a volume of care that no isolated public program would be able to offer. In addition to clinical treatment, the partnership with Colgate ensures the distribution of hygiene kits and educational activities for those selected.
The numbers that show why this action is necessary
Data from the Saúde Bucal Brasil survey reveals that about 43.9% of adolescents between 15 and 19 years old have untreated cavities. This number shows that almost half of Brazilian young people live with dental problems that affect their quality of life, from difficulty eating and sleeping to shame about smiling in public, a factor that impacts self-esteem, socialization, and future opportunities.
The founder of Turma do Bem, Fábio Bibancos, is direct about the motivation: “This national mobilization is to remind us that oral health cannot be a luxury item.” The reality is that low-income families frequently prioritize food and housing over dental care, and when the young person finally sees a dentist, the problem has already evolved into situations that require complex and expensive procedures that the SUS (Brazil’s public health system) cannot offer quickly.
The Brasil Sorridente program and the limits of the public system
Parallel to the NGO’s actions, the Federal Government announced a new expansion cycle for the Brasil Sorridente program, with an estimated investment of R$ 101 million until 2027 to bring oral health teams to over 610 new municipalities. Public investments are significant, but demand exceeds service capacity, and it is precisely in this gap that organizations like Turma do Bem operate.
Bibancos acknowledges governmental advances but ponders: “Investments are fundamental and should be recognized, but reality shows that there is still a long way to go.” The complementarity between the public system and the third sector is what allows for increased access in a country where millions of young people have never been to the dentist and where the SUS waiting list for specialized dental procedures can exceed a year in many cities.
How to find a screening post and ensure care
The addresses and operating hours of the screening posts in the 156 participating cities are published on Turma do Bem’s official website. The recommendation is for guardians to bring young people as early as possible, as selection prioritizes the most severe cases and the number of spots is limited by the absorption capacity of the volunteer network in each municipality. The necessary documentation is simple: the young person’s ID and proof of residence.
For families living in cities outside the list of 156 participants, the NGO keeps registrations open year-round through its website and partnerships with local schools and social organizations. The free dental treatment offered by Turma do Bem has no cost at any stage, from screening to the conclusion of follow-up, and selected young people receive all necessary procedures without paying any amount.
Do you know any young person who needs dental treatment and cannot afford it? Tell us in the comments if you’ve heard of Turma do Bem and share this article so the information reaches those who need it most.
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