About Us

Our Mission

Our mission is to prevent the underprivileged children of Jerusalem from suffering dental pain by providing quality dental care and education.

The Program

Dental Volunteers for Israel (DVI) operates a modern dental clinic in Jerusalem for disadvantaged children and youth aged 5-18, without regard to race, religion, or ethnic background. Patients are referred to DVI by the Jerusalem Municipality's Welfare Services as well as homeless shelters and other social service organizations, and receive crucial dental care and oral health education free of charge.

The clinic is currently operated on a part-time basis, and is staffed by a combination of volunteer dentists from all around the world, and Israeli staff. Because resources are limited, there is a significant waiting list for patients to be seen at the clinic. The goal of American Friends of DVI is to unsure the sustainability of the clinic's operations as well as expand access to care for the needy children of Jerusalem through fundraising and volunteer recruitment efforts.

Background

Israel's health care system guarantees access to most forms of medical care through the national insurance system. However, dental care is excluded. Families who cannot afford to pay out-of-pocket for dental care often go without. (Berg A, Zusman SP and Horev T., Social and economic aspects of dental care in Israel in the era of National Health Insurance. Jerusalem, JDC Brookdale Institute, 2000.) Lack of access to dental care for children represents a major public health problem. Poor dental care has severe impacts on children. These include increased risk of tooth decay due to lack of knowledge about oral hygiene, the pain and disfigurement that accompany untreated tooth decay, and other forms of dental disease.� There is also significant risk of serious and even life-threatening infections and other more pervasive chronic health problems.