Bibancos Fábio
Organization: Turma do Bem
Year Founded: 2002
Country: Brazil
Website: www.turmadobem.org.br
Geographic Area of Impact: Brazil.
Model: Leveraged Non-Profit
Focus: Children and Youth,Health.
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Brazil, 2006 Video The Innovation While the job prospects for poor youth in general are limited, such opportunities are even more reduced if the applicant is disfigured as a result of obvious dental or oral abnormalities. This is the case for thousands in developing countries where oral health and hygiene are luxuries few can afford and remain at the bottom of the priority list for struggling public health ministries. Dentista do Bem (Dentist for Good) is unique in Brazil and in the world. It is the creation of Fabio Bibancos, an unusual dentist who is transforming opportunities for poor youth. Working with an ever growing network of public schools that are located in more than 400 cities across 27 Brazilian states, Dentista do Bem identifies poor youth between 11 and 17 years of age who are about to seek their first job and have severe and visible oral health problems. Using an easily applied instrument validated by the World Health Organization, these cases are detected and evaluated. Those selected are referred to the dentist closest to the dentists that belong to the Dentista do Bem network – and as a result, they receive the best private dental care available – at no cost – until age 18. The cost is absorbed by the dentist who has a daily average of between 15 and 30 paying patients a day. One of the main features of the business model is its cost effectiveness and high social return. With approximately 5,000 direct beneficiaries a year, the cost per client is R$17.31 (around US$ 8 total per client). Background In Brazil, as in the rest of Latin America and perhaps the developing world, dentistry as a profession has little attraction – either for the patient or for those selecting a career in health. In addition, the vast majority of dentists, unlike medical doctors or lawyers, are seldom involved in pro bono work. While Brazil trains approximately 12% of dentists worldwide, it does not have an oral health policy. A great number of private clinics are concentrated in the richest regions, generating large idleness; on the other hand, dental services offered through the public health system are poor in quality and cannot meet the demand. In short, while the poor have no access to proper dental treatment, many private clinics are empty. Strategy Turma do Bem is a non-governmental organization whose mission is “to change society’s perception on oral health and perception of dentists on the social impact of their activities.” Dentista do Bem is now the largest volunteer program in the dental field in Latin America. The program selects young people in public schools and referred by other NGOs for treatment based on whether they are below the poverty line, seeking employment and with a poor oral health profile. A target is established for each municipality based on the number of youth needing care. Dentista do Bem creates specific incentives for those who agree to participate in the network, including a plaque placed at the entrance of their office identifying that they are “Dentistas do Bem” and are contributing to the greater social good. This public recognition goes a long way in generating interest in joining the group. The central office in Sao Paulo also provides systematic follow-up of all cases that is then fed back to the Municipal Coordinator so that all dentists know how they are affecting the lives of these young people. Beyond the Dentista do Bem, Turma do Bem has been developing other projects to transform the oral health reality in Latin America. Barco do Bem (Boat for Good) is a boat with state-of-the-art equipment. It follows a hospital boat along the Amazon river (see description of Saúde e Alegría in this book), offering dental care services to 25.000 remote riverside families in the Amazon region. Dentista Verde (Green Dentist) is an initiative aiming at making the dentistry practice more environmentally friendly through the search for more ecological materials, saving of water and electricity, and recycling of disposable materials. Financiamento do Bem (Financing for Good) is a study assessing the possibilities of providing poor people the access to complex oral treatments not available in public clinics through a microfinance scheme. Pasta do Povo (Toothpaste for the Poor) is a project to develop low-cost toothpaste and toothbrushes and disseminate them among the poor. The Entrepreneur Fabio Bibancos is a passionate advocate for dentistry and has a unique capacity to convince his counterparts that they can transform the lives of millions of poor simply by applying their talents as dentists. Fabio has his own clinic. Among his clients are Brazil’s elite as well as the young beneficiaries of the Dentista do Bem network. Both groups receive the same level of care. His clinic is the first dental clinic in Latin America to win the ISO 9001 Certificate of Quality. From 1997 to 2002, he developed and coordinated the “I Adopted a Smile” program at the Brazilian Toys Manufactures Foundation, a social project to mobilize volunteer dentist to assist poor children. That was the genesis of the Dentista do Bem program. In 2002, he decided to institutionalize the project and mobilized some fellow dentists to open Turma do Bem. But Fabio Bibancos’ creativity knows no limits. He founded the School of Health Philosophy, where dentists broaden their horizons through courses and lectures by professionals from different areas, such as Ashoka entrepreneurs, health area professionals, politicians, business administrators, advertising and marketing executives and writers. He also teaches at the most important dentistry school in Sao Paulo, and is the author of four popular books for people of all ages – on dentistry!
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