The Zi de Bine Association sets up a school dental clinic for 1,800 children who need dental care and organizes educational workshops to prevent oral health problems, the project being supported by E.ON Romania. The office will be located in Cătina commune, Cluj county, and will also serve children in neighboring communes. Within the “Zi cu Zâmbet” project, children will have free access to specialized help, with the association covering the costs of treatments for a period of 3-6 months.

The strategic partners of the Zi de Bine Association, Lidl Romania, E.ON Group Romania, UniCredit Bank and Leroy Merlin will offer 40,000 euros for the development of this program.

In Romania, only 18.6% of schools have a general medical office and only 3% have a dental medical office. In addition, in rural areas there are only 88 school medical offices, according to the data provided by the Ministry of Health, in 2019, of which only seven also offer dental services.

At the national level, 90% of Romanians have dental problems, and 44% no longer have natural teeth. In the countryside, where more than 9 million Romanians live, brushing your teeth is not a priority, and there are too few dentists.

“According to the data provided by the National Institute of Statistics, 63% of Romanians do not brush their teeth. And this despite programs to raise awareness of the importance of oral hygiene, supported by the private sector and non-governmental organizations rather than by the state. Which tells us that there is still a need for concrete steps in this field. Through the Day with a smile project, we want to encourage children to smile more, but at the same time, we want to sound the alarm about the seriousness of the situation and the urgency to prioritize this sector of oral health,” said Melania Medeleanu and Luciana Zaharia, the founders of the Zi de Bine Association.