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Dental Industry Leaders Unite for Snowdon Sunrise Trek in Support of Bridge2Aid

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Dental Industry Leaders Unite for Snowdon Sunrise Trek in Support of Bridge2Aid

11 August 2025

Over 100 senior figures from across the dental industry will take on the Snowdon Sunrise Trek on 19 September 2025 to raise vital funds for international dental charity Bridge2Aid. Organised by Barker PR, the event will see teams from Henry Schein & Optident, GC Medical, Rodericks Dental, EMS Dental UK, Boxly, Wrights Cottrell, Mark Allen Publishing, Buxton Coates Solicitors, the Society of British Dental Nurses, and many more, come together to champion access to essential oral healthcare.

Around 3.5 billion people are affected by oral disease globally, with the greatest burden falling on disadvantaged and remote communities. Bridge2Aid is committed to changing this, delivering education and treatment programmes that address the root causes of poor oral health and equip local dental professionals with the skills they need to make a long-term difference.

“I had the privilege of travelling to Mwanza in 2010 to support a media project with Bridge2Aid, and it left a lasting impression,” said Gemma Barker, Managing Director of Barker PR. “I saw children who had walked for hours in pain, waiting for relief from preventable toothache, and witnessed the profound impact that Bridge2Aid’s training programmes have in supporting long-term community care. Charities like Bridge2Aid have faced huge challenges over the past five years, and we want to help bring the industry together to celebrate their ongoing work, raise awareness of the oral health crisis, and raise the funds needed to keep these life-changing programmes going.”

Shaenna Loughnane, CEO of Bridge2Aid, added:
“We are incredibly grateful to everyone taking part in the Snowdon Sunrise Trek and to the industry leaders standing beside us in this mission. The funds raised through this event will directly support the training of more Dental Therapists, expand our oral health education programmes, and help us reach even more communities suffering the effects of untreated oral disease. It will also enable us to continue our vital work tackling Infant Oral Mutilation and training local health educators who can make an ongoing impact where it’s needed most. This support is not just appreciated — it is transformational.”

Bridge2Aid works in partnership with local dental associations, health ministries and NGOs to provide sustainable training and mentoring programmes in underserved areas. Their work focuses on four key areas:

  • Mentoring and up-skilling local Dental Therapists in rural communities
  • Ending Infant Oral Mutilation through awareness and education
  • Delivering community oral health promotion
  • Partnering with UK universities to train students as community oral health educators in areas of local need

Since 2020, the charity has shifted its focus to prevention and education, developing innovative training programmes in East Africa — including the development of a Dental Therapist skills training and mentorship programme in Tanzania, and an online curriculum for Dental Therapists in Malawi alongside a nationwide roll-out of community health educator training. Since its first programme in 2004, Bridge2Aid has trained more than 600 Clinical Officers and provided free emergency dental care to over 6,000,000 people.

The Snowdon Sunrise Trek represents a powerful collective effort to address an often-overlooked global health crisis.

To support the team and help Bridge2Aid expand its life-changing work, please donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/team/b2asnowdonsunrise

Together, we can give the gift of oral health, dignity and opportunity.

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