Dental missions have long been a vital part of global healthcare, providing essential dental care in underserved communities. As technology continues to evolve, the integration of advanced tools like teledentistry and 3D printing is transforming the landscape of dental care, making it more accessible, efficient, and effective. In 2025, these technologies are helping to bridge the gap in dental care for populations with limited access to professional dental services, revolutionizing how care is delivered in mission settings worldwide.

When parents take their children on medical mission trips, they get the tools to establish the mindset for service and appreciation within their children. Children get to experience a new culture and gain perspectives beyond their day-to-day scope of life back home. They will become inspired for their future careers as they do things they have never done, explore places they have never been, and serve people they have never met.

Young family members and students play a wide variety of roles in our clinics. They can help in community education, registration, hand washing station, and photography. They can shadow a variety of providers (ideal for older children), help our patients go from one area of clinic to another (children are always great at directing traffic!), and entertain more than a few kids with a little nail polish, bubbles, singing songs, card games, and soccer or football games.

Want to learn more about families and IMR? Please don’t hesitate to contact us!

June 16-22, 2024

If you are looking for adventure this summer, don’t miss the IMR trip to South Africa. This trip includes not one but TWO safaris! You’ll participate in an evening safari the day you arrive plus a full-day safari on day six of your trip. At two exclusive game reserves in South Africa, you’ll have the chance to see white lions, hippos, elephants, ostriches, giraffes, zebras, African buffalos, wildebeests, and many, many more African animals in their natural habitats.

Your trip will also include a visit the PheZulu Zulu village where the Gasa clan welcomes visitors, giving them the opportunity to savor the taste and feel the rhythm of Africa. Guides will take you through traditional beehive shaped thatched huts and explain the various Zulu artifacts, beliefs, and rituals. You’ll admire traditional Zulu handicrafts and participate in traditional dances as you gain insight into the fascinating Zulu culture.

There are two versions of this trip to match your budget. The Signature trip includes accommodations at a 4-star hotel with plenty of amenities. The Classic trip includes 2-star accommodations with safe, clean, comfortable rooms.

The Butterfly IQ+ point-of-care ultrasound has been a game changer in the field for assessments and diagnoses. IMR volunteers have used the portable device to show expectant mothers their precious babies and search for suspected gallstones and kidney stones to relieve patients in pain. Providers have also used the ultrasound as an educational tool to give student volunteer experiences with live medical cases they wouldn’t get in the classroom.

Providers often bring their own personal devices to enhance their mission trip work. But thanks to a generous grant from our phenomenal partner, the Making a Difference Foundation, there are three in the IMR technology library for field use as well to provide world class patient care no matter where the location.

Harnessing the capabilities of technology, IMR volunteers in Ecuador used 3D printers to craft personalized 3D-printed partials for patients, elevating smiles and multiplying the positive effect dental care has on IMR patients. This initiative goes beyond dental innovation; it’s a testament to what can be achieved when diverse skills converge for a shared purpose.

The precision and accuracy achieved through 3D printing are unparalleled in limited-resource settings. Traditional methods of creating partials and dentures often involve multiple steps, including manual mold-making and adjustments, which can lead to patient inconsistencies and discomfort. However, 3D printing allows for creating highly customized, patient-specific dental prosthetics with remarkable precision. This results in a comfortable fit and natural appearance that greatly enhances the patient’s quality of life.

One of the most significant advantages of 3D printing is the speed at which prosthetics are produced. IMR patients came in and left the same day with beautiful, high-quality partials. Traditional manufacturing processes in the U.S. can be time-consuming. But with 3D printing, the entire process is expedited, allowing patients to receive their partials or dentures in a fraction of the time it would take using conventional methods.

3D printing also offers a level of versatility in field-based dental care that was previously unimaginable. Dental professionals can easily adjust and refine the design before printing, ensuring that the final product meets the patient’s specific requirements.

Want to be a part of bringing innovation to communities with little to no access to medical or dental care? Join IMR on an upcoming trip!

A young Khmer (Cambodian) mother came to the IMR clinic after losing more than three liters of blood during and following childbirth. She was limp in her husband’s arms as he desperately crossed the island shore with all his strength to reach us.

The IMR team quickly took action, not knowing if it was possible to get her to a hospital on time. After starting an IV, the IMR team carried her across the sand to a boat, the only possible transportation, which sped as fast as it could across the water to the mainland to reach the closest hospital. IMR team members kept their patient as comfortable as possible until the boat reached the shore and the team could transfer her to a waiting car for the last leg of the arduous journey. At the hospital, the young mother received a transfusion made possible by IMR and the donors that support our organization. Thankfully, her life was saved, as was that of her son, whom she named Sok Chea.

Thanks to the heroes who make up the IMR volunteer teams, patients like this one are able to win in their battle for survival. In places like the Koh Rong, social and environmental conditions make the equitable treatment of disease challenging. IMR volunteers are able to help patients meet this challenge in every mission we undertake.