New partnership with the Australian Dental Foundation combines mobile treatment, prevention, education, and community engagement
Basel, Switzerland / South Australia, Australia – August, 2026.
The Straumann Group Foundation is entering a new partnership with the Australian Dental Foundation Incorporated (ADFi) to improve access to oral healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in remote and regional South Australia.
The new Central Smiles program will focus initially on the greater Ceduna region on the Eyre Peninsula and the Riverland, where distance, limited availability of dental professionals, cost, and other barriers can make regular dental care difficult to access. Ceduna alone is around 780 kilometers from Adelaide.
Central Smiles is designed to bring care directly to communities. ADFi will use its mobile dental clinic “Michelle” to provide examinations, preventive care, restorative treatment, extractions, oral cancer screening, oral health advice, and referrals where further care is needed. Community-based education will complement treatment, including oral health sessions in schools and community settings and the training of local oral health champions such as Aboriginal health workers, teachers, and carers.
The program reflects an important principle in SGF's approach: immediate treatment matters, but sustainable progress also requires prevention, awareness, continuity of care, and strong local partnerships.
Around 2,400 patient appointments are planned each year, alongside more than 3,000 oral health education touchpoints. As patients may require several appointments, these figures should not be understood as unique individuals. The wider reach is expected to extend further through families, schools, community organizations, and locally trained oral health champions.
Repeated visits to participating communities are intended to support follow-up and prevention rather than relying on one-time outreach. The program will work closely with Aboriginal community-controlled health services, schools, local organizations, and existing healthcare structures.
Building capacity for the longer term
An important part of the partnership is the development of a new purpose-built mobile dental vehicle. Once operational, it will become part of ADFi's permanent fleet and is intended to expand access to additional remote communities over time.
This makes Central Smiles more than a series of outreach visits. The program combines treatment with infrastructure, education, referral pathways, local capacity building, and integration into existing services.
Sustainability is supported through partnerships with Aboriginal community-controlled health services and other local organizations, referral pathways into further care, trained community-based oral health champions, diversified funding, and the continued use of the mobile clinic beyond the initial partnership period. ADFi also has an existing Memorandum of Understanding with SA Dental Service, supporting integration with wider public dental pathways.
An experienced local partner
Founded in 2015, ADFi is an Australian registered health promotion charity focused on oral health. The organization has supported more than 140,000 patients, delivered more than AUD 34 million worth of oral healthcare services, and worked across thousands of locations in Australia.
ADFi already has experience working with First Nations communities, including in Ceduna, and combines mobile treatment with tele-dentistry, prevention programs, education, and referral pathways. Clinical care is delivered by registered dental professionals within ADFi's established clinical governance and accreditation framework.
Central Smiles will also create opportunities for Straumann Group Foundation and Straumann ANZ colleagues and affiliated dental professionals to participate in selected volunteer outreach activities alongside ADFi teams and local communities.
For SGF, the partnership adds another program to its growing Basic Dental Care portfolio and reinforces an approach that combines access to treatment with prevention, education, local ownership, and longer-term integration into existing healthcare structures.
The involved partners
About Straumann Group Foundation
The Straumann Group Foundation (SGF) is a charitable foundation established by Straumann Group to improve access to oral healthcare for underserved communities worldwide. Guided by the belief that oral health is essential to overall health, dignity and quality of life, the Foundation supports sustainable initiatives that expand access to preventive, restorative and educational dental services.
SGF works with trusted local and international partners to deliver community-based programmes aligned with its mission: to help ensure that no one should live with dental pain, struggle to eat or be unable to smile due to lack of access to basic oral care. The Foundation focuses on long-term impact, strong governance, measurable outcomes and collaboration within local healthcare ecosystems.
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, SGF operates as an independent charitable foundation under Swiss law.
www.straumanngroupfoundation.org
About the Australian Dental Foundation
The Australian Dental Foundation Incorporated (ADFi) is an Australian registered health promotion charity focused on improving access to oral healthcare for people and communities experiencing barriers to care. Founded in 2015, ADFi delivers mobile and fixed dental services, prevention and education programs, tele-dentistry, and outreach across Australia.
Its programs support children, older people, First Nations communities, people living with disability, people experiencing homelessness, and other underserved groups. ADFi works with registered dental professionals and community partners to provide accessible, clinically governed care, with a strong focus on prevention, dignity, cultural safety, and continuity of care.
ADFi is registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission and operates accredited dental services across its mobile and fixed clinics.
Credits
Images and footage are shared courtesy of our partners and in accordance with their respective policies and guidelines.
Resources
YouTube
- About us Video which features services ADFi delivers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74ZPQLFtlSA
- ABC news article RE: Sugary drinks featuring ADFi Chairperson, Dr Greg Miller: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEbAMyCekKo
- Channel 9 news feature article RE: our Aged Care program with ADFi Chairperson, Dr Greg Miller: https://youtu.be/FmLNEgkSY_U
- Clarrie video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG1pglWBXmk
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