Dominican Republic - May 2026

DCF……WHERE IT ALL BEGAN.

It’s hard to imagine that it was almost 25 years ago when I first met a lovely lady during a new patient appointment at my office...

At that initial visit I learned that she and her husband were preparing to move full time to the Dominican Republic to assume oversight of a church camp in a town in the mountains named Jarabacoa. This chance meeting coincided with a season change in my life as I began to consider connecting with students at MUSC for the purpose of introducing them to international dental missions.

To make long story a bit shorter, after this couple moved to the DR, a site visit was made. This was followed by two separate short term mission trips offering cleaning, extractions, and restorative dentistry to people in the community living around the camp. Since that beginning, DCF has helped to facilitate almost 100 similar trips to Latin America and Africa as well as the Caribbean.

During the week of May 9-16 a team of 30 set up a clinic in a church in the town of Bani west of the capital Santo Domingo partnering with a lovely group of missionaries from Word of Life Ministries. We have rarely served alongside such dedicated followers of Jesus.

Each day the national team met under a large shade tree to greet, register, consult, evangelize, and pray for people from near and far. There were so many high points to the week that it’s hard to single out any one aspect, but to highlight a few:

1. The joy of assisting new D3 students with their first restorative and oral surgery procedures & as new D2s received direct instruction from graduate hygienists as they delivered their first direct patient care.

2. A record setting number of endodontic procedures performed allowed both D4 and D3 students to gain firsthand experience.

3. The beautiful tropical setting of our accommodations right on the ocean.

4. An amazing group of dedicated graduate dentist mentors, four of whom had participated on DCF trips as undergraduate students.

DCF mission trips are first and foremost about education and service. Each student on the team benefitted from the equivalent of almost a semester’s worth of clinical experience as over a hundred patients received treatment each day. In addition, new friendships were formed, good food was enjoyed, worship and Bible study were held, and we even had time for some R&R at a lovely beach club.

It’s impossible to measure the impact of 25 years of international service beyond the joy of using our time and talent in service to others. However, it is hoped that a trip such as this might form the foundation of volunteerism in the future lives of the students who participated on this trip.

Blessings,

Dr. Bill

Check out photos from the trip!

Before & After Restorative Photos from the D.R. Team