In his mischievous "Devil’s Dictionary", US writer Ambrose Bierce defined a dentist as "a prestidigitator who, putting metal into your mouth, pulls coins out of your pocket". 

Considering the unaffordable dentist fees that many of us know very well, supporters of this witty aphorism are not hard to find. Nonetheless, the experience of the "Overland for Smile" project proves that Bierce’s assumption is not always valid.

It all began in 2005 when Lionello Grossi, a respected dentist from Pregnana (a little town in the suburbs of Milan) met Beppe Tenti, a documentary filmmaker with a passion for adventure.

Beppe is well known by the Italian public for a popular series of travel documentaries aired by Italian public broadcaster RAI. Retracing the footprints of Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus, Beppe organised 11 expeditions across the planet: from the desolate Siberian taiga to the Amazon rain forest, from the vast emptiness of the Sahara desert to the crowded streets of Beijing, overcoming extreme difficulties. In their exciting tours, Beppe and his crew drove four Iveco orange-coloured vehicles, 330.30 ANW 6x6 with 8 V-cylinder engines which became the distinctive symbol of the TV show.

Lionello, who participated in some episodes of the series produced by Beppe, was eager to combine road trips with his other great passion: volunteering. The goal of the Italian dentist was to tackle the lack of adequate dental care in child care institutions. A problem that seriously undermines childrens’ health both physically and emotionally, preventing them from properly assimilating food, and damaging their smiles. In a precarious context as an orphanage, avoiding a dental abscess or treating a cavity can really make a difference. Unfortunately, child care institutions are often located in isolated areas and it’s quite impossible to get there with a modern dental apparatus in perfect hygiene conditions.

So, when Lionello came up with the idea of equipping one of those orange trucks as a dental clinic and offering free dental care to institutionalised children directly in their shelters, no matter how remote they were, Beppe passionately backed his proposal.

 A humanitarian project invariably begins with fundraising as Beppe and Lionello knew very well. So, the two friends restlessly looked for economic support and rapidly found many Italian firms willing to lend a hand. In particular, Iveco generously offered to modify the truck to fit the project’s purpose entirely for free.

 Thanks to Beppe and Lionello’s strong commitment, the following summer this "itinerant clinic" was ready.  The first destination of the "gentle giant", as the truck was dearly nicknamed, was Romania. There, "Overland for Smile" doctors offered their services collaborating with their Romanian colleagues.

The enthusiasm shown by the little patients and the Romanian Institutions prompted the promise to return. So, Lionello recruited other Italian dentists, dental hygienists and dental assistants to join the association and organised three more campaigns in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The data from the whole project tell an amazing tale: in the past three years, the 150 doctors that participated to the Overland for Smile Project treated 4607 kids in 203 different orphanages while the caravan covered about 143 000km, stopping in 22 towns.

This year, "Overland for Smile" staff turned its attention toward Bulgaria and planned to visit the country’s child care institutions. Starting from June, the unmistakable orange-coloured truck will be traveling all around Bulgaria trying to quite literally put a smile upon less fortunate children’s faces.

Donations can be made by bank transfer to Banca Sanpaolo
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