The San Pedro Smile Center celebrated 19 years of providing free dental care to Belizean children through its annual outreach clinic at Holy Cross Anglican School in San Pedro Town. The clinic was held on May 21st, 22nd, 25th, and 26th, from 8:30AM to 3PM each day. Organizers also announced that, following this year’s session, the clinic facility would undergo a full renovation and expansion to create a larger, more modern space capable of treating more patients in an improved environment.
This year’s outreach team included Dr. Mark Johnson, Dr. Steve Lusk, Eleanor Carrera, and nurse Isabella Lusk, who worked alongside local support staff to provide dental care to children from the community.
The clinic focused on children up to 16 years old and offered preventive and restorative dental services at no cost. Services included dental examinations, cleanings, fluoride treatments, fillings, and extractions. According to the organizers, the program aimed to address dental issues early while encouraging children to become comfortable with routine dental care.
The free dental clinic was part of a long-running initiative that began after the school-based facility was established in 2007. Dr. Johnson explained that the program grew out of earlier work conducted at the local polyclinic and discussions with Holy Cross Anglican School about bringing dental services directly to students. Now in its 19th year, the program has continued through volunteer support and community participation.
Dr. Lusk shared that his involvement in dental missions led him to connect with Dr. Johnson’s clinic. He first visited San Pedro around 2014 and has continued returning in recent years to assist with the outreach program. He noted that the team remained focused on providing children with dental services that could help prevent more serious oral health issues later in life.
Dr. Johnson added that the clinic was open to all Belizean children and noted that parents or guardians were required to accompany minors seeking treatment.
The outreach program has continued to serve as an important resource for families seeking accessible dental care for their children and has become a longstanding annual initiative within the community.