Bibancos Fábio
Organization: Turma do Bem
Year Founded: 2002
Country: Brazil
Website: www.turmadobem.org.br
Video With the largest volunteer dental programme in Latin America, Turma do Bem’s is on a mission to change the perception of oral health and dentistry, especially in low-income communities. Focus: Children and Youth, Civic Participation, Health Geographic Area of Impact: Brazil Model: Leveraged Non-Profit Number of Direct Beneficiaries: 12,000 (2009) Annual Budget: US$ 450,000 (2009) Percentage Earned Revenue: 1% Recognition: Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Brazil, 2006 Background In Brazil, as in the rest of Latin America, dentistry as a profession has little attraction, either for the patient or for those selecting a career in health. While Brazil trains approximately 12% of dentists worldwide, it does not have a comprehensive oral health policy. A great number of private clinics are concentrated in the richest regions, while dental services offered through the public health system are poor in quality and cannot meet demand. The vast majority of dentists, unlike medical doctors or lawyers, are also seldom involved in pro bono work. Innovation and Activities Turma do Bem is working to transform oral healthcare in Latin America. Through its Dentista do Bem (Dentist for Good) programme, children from low-income families are provided with free dental care until the age of 18. The programme selects young people in public schools (located in more than 600 cities across 27 Brazilian states and 6 Latin American countries) for treatment based on whether they are below the poverty line, seeking employment and have a poor oral health profile. Today, Dentista do Bem is the largest volunteer programme in the field of dentistry in Latin America. Dentista do Bem creates specific incentives for dentists who agree to participate in the network, including a plaque placed at the entrance of their office identifying that they are contributing their skills to help those in need. This public recognition goes a long way in generating interest in joining the group. One of the main features of the business model is its cost effectiveness and high social return. The central office in Sao Paolo also provides follow-up of all cases, which is then sent to the municipal coordinator so that all dentists know how they are affecting the lives of these young people. In addition to Dentista do Bem, Turma do Bem has initiated a number of other projects. Dentista Verde (Green Dentist) is aimed at making dentistry more environmentally friendly. This includes saving water and electricity, and recycling disposable materials. Barco do Bem (Boat for Good) is a boat with state-of-the-art dental equipment that follows a hospital boat along the Amazon River. It offers dental care services to 25,000 families living in a remote part of the Amazon. Financiamento do Bem (Financing for Good) assesses the possibilities of providing poor people with access to complex oral treatments not available in public clinics through a microfinance scheme. Pasta do Povo (Toothpaste for the Poor) develops low-cost toothpaste and toothbrushes and disseminate them among the poor. Since 2006, four documentaries have been made by Turma do Bem to show the derelict situation and lack of resources in oral healthcare in Brazil, as well as the important work being done by Dentista do Bem to change the situation. The Entrepreneur As a dentist, Fabio Bibancos treats Brazil’s elite as well as young beneficiaries of the Dentista do Bem network; both groups receive the same level of care. His dental clinic is the first in Latin America to win the ISO 9001 Certificate of Quality. Bibancos has a unique capacity to convince his fellow dentists that they can transform the lives of millions of poor simply by applying their skills. From 1997 to 2002, he developed and coordinated the “I Adopted a Smile” programme at the Brazilian Toys Manufactures Foundation, a social project to mobilize volunteer dentists to assist poor children. This eventually led to the opening of Turma do Bem. Bibanco also teaches at one of Sao Paulo’s top dentistry schools, is the author of four popular books on dentistry, and is the founder of a school on health philosophy.
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