In January 2010 a feature article was published in the BDJ outlining the plans to provide dental education and care to AIDs orphans in rural Western Kenya through an established charity, The Akhonya Trust.1 Due to unforeseen circumstances the Akhonya Trust was unable to support the dental project and a new host was found; consequently the project has now changed its name to Smile Mumias.

Mumias is a town with a population of approximately 91,500, in the District of Butere-Mumias in the Western Province of Kenya. The main employer of the area is Mumias Sugar, an organisation that manufactures and sells sugar grown in the surrounding area and is responsible for 60% of Kenya's sugar production. Smile Mumias was organised in collaboration with the Mumias Education, Assessment and Resource Centre (EARC), a charity-funded government department which provides support for children with disabilities and their families in Mumias and the surrounding districts. EARC supports an extensive range of disabilities and has strong links with all the Special Units within schools and community centres in the district, and so was an ideal base for the project.

The aims of Smile Mumias are to:

Provide oral health education (OHE) to children in the Mumias District, focusing on those with special needs
Train local caregivers and healthcare workers in oral hygiene instruction (OHI) and OHE
Where possible, provide basic dental care (extractions and restorations) to those most in need
Plan for future sustainable dental services in Mumias district.