Restoring Smiles: Over 500 Community Members Served at Okere City Dental Camp

Okere City, in partnership with Hope Smiles, hosted a free dental camp that delivered essential oral health services to communities in Otuke and neighbouring districts. Over the course of the four-day outreach, more than 500 people accessed professional dental care - many seeking help for long-standing and untreated dental conditions.

Access to dental services remains a challenge for many rural families due to cost, distance and limited knowledge about oral health. The camp helped bridge this gap by providing free tooth extractions, scaling and polishing and cement fillings, offering both pain relief and preventive care.

Dr. Grace Ainembabazi, the Hope Smiles team leader, explained that delayed care is a common pattern. Many patients, he noted, live with dental pain for extended periods because services feel out of reach. He emphasized that outreaches like this make it possible to treat immediate problems while also promoting prevention, so that minor issues do not develop into serious conditions.

“Camps like this allow us to educate, treat and encourage prevention so that small problems don’t become serious isues,” Dr. Grace Ainembabazi, Hope Smiles Team Leader.

Alongside treatment, the team shared practical oral hygiene tips, encouraging proper brushing, reduced sugar intake and regular checkups.

Beyond treatment, the camp reinforced how closely oral health is tied to confidence, nutrition and overall wellbeing. A simple dental procedure can restore someone’s ability to eat comfortably, speak confidently and smile without pain. For many beneficiaries, the experience was life-changing.

One patient from Ayiloi A village, Okere Parish, Adwari Sub County in Otuke district who left the camp relieved shared that she had endured tooth ache for months because of the long distance between her home and the health facility.

"I endured extreme tooth pain for several months beacuse I could not travel to Orum HC IV in Otuke Town due to the long distance and lack of money for treament," said, Jennifer Ogwang. "Since I received treatment, I am fianlly pain free and able to eat without any discomfort.

Salva Opio, a 22 year old beneficiary from Odokomit Village, Kotomor Sub County in Agago district admitted that he had never considered professional cleaning as important until the dentists explained it, saying he now feels fresher and more confident about his smile.

Meanwhile, Ojok Okello, the Chief Executive Officer/Founder of Okere City described the dental camp as both impactful and transformative, noting that for the four days, a dedicated team of seven dentists from Hope Smiles selflessly served rural residents who would otherwise have little or no access to dental care.

He observed that many community members received their first-ever dental checkups and oral health education, which will have lasting benefits for their health and confidence. He further emphasized that the camp is not a one-time effort but part of a formal partnership guaranteeing continuity of care, with similar outreaches planned twice every year for the next five years. This long-term commitment, he said, assures the community that dental health will no longer be neglected.

Ojok also reflected on the compassion shown by the dentists, noting that rural families often prioritize immediate survival needs over dental health because services are distant or unaffordable.

By bringing care closer to Otuke and surrounding districts, Okere City in partnernship with Hope Smiles helped remove these barriers and restore dignity to many who had endured pain silently.

In Ojok's view, the initiative demonstrates how partnership, planning and volunteerism can transform lives at the grassroot level, while the smiles seen at the end of each day were a reminder that access to dental care is not a luxury but a necessity.

With dental camps scheduled twice each year and the next one coming up in August 2026, Okere City and Hope Smiles continue to model how partnerships can expand access to essential health services. For many who attended, the impact will last far beyond the camp itself; in restored comfort, renewed confidence and brighter smiles.