Bringing caries care to schools in Pakistan

In peri-urban Islamabad, the Bridging the Care Gap project will address untreated dental caries among children aged 6–12 in Barakahu.

Building on research conducted in the community, the project will combine oral health education with school-based caries prevention and arrest using silver diamine fluoride (SDF). By delivering care directly in schools, the initiative aims to overcome financial and access barriers that can prevent children from completing treatment.

Connecting vulnerable families to care in Gaza

In conflict-affected Gaza, the winning project will develop a community-based and digitally enabled oral health promotion and referral model for vulnerable children and families.

The initiative will combine oral health education, screening, referral and patient navigation with a low-bandwidth digital platform designed for settings affected by disrupted healthcare services and unreliable connectivity. Around 1,200 participants will benefit directly, while six community-based dentists and volunteers will be trained as oral health champions.

Strengthening oral health at a Koranic school in Senegal

At the Daara of Koki in Senegal, PPSBD-Kokki will work with more than 2,000 talibe children aged 6–12 to strengthen oral health literacy and access to care.

The project will train Koranic teachers, ndeyou daara (“godmothers”) and community health workers to support daily oral hygiene, identify oral health problems and facilitate referrals. Clinical screening and care will complement prevention and education, while project findings will support advocacy for stronger oral health provision in daaras across Senegal.

Bringing minimally invasive dental care into schools in Uzbekistan

In Uzbekistan, a nurse-led model will bring preventive and minimally invasive dental care to approximately 400 children across four schools in disadvantaged areas of Tashkent.

Building on the SCOPE (School-based Care for Oral Health and Preventive Essentials) programme, trained school nurses will provide fluoride varnish and silver diamine fluoride, screen for urgent conditions and use tele-dentistry to support referral and clinical decision-making. The project will also evaluate the model to generate evidence for potential scale-up.

Local solutions, lasting impact

While the five projects operate in very different settings, they share a common ambition: to bring oral health closer to communities and build sustainable local capacity.

From empowering caregivers and community health workers to using digital technologies and task-shifting, the 2026 WDDF winners demonstrate how innovative, community-based approaches can help address oral health inequalities and create models that can continue beyond the funding period.

Applications are open

FDI encourages organizations, National Dental Associations (NDAs), NGOs and other eligible organizations with community-based oral health initiatives to apply for WDDF funding.

If your organization has an initiative that can make a sustainable difference to oral health in an underserved community, find out more about the WDDF and consider applying for the next funding cycle.

The FDI World Dental Development Fund is supported by Shofu