If you're a pre-dental student trying to decide where to spend your winter break, you're probably weighing more than just the destination. Dental volunteer trips for students give you hands-on exposure to real dental clinics, a chance to build volunteer hours for your application, and a first-hand look at how oral healthcare works in underserved communities abroad.
This winter 2026-2027, Smiles Movement is running Dental Service Learning Trips (SLTs) to three destinations in Peru and Ecuador: Cusco, Riobamba, and Lima. Below, we break down what a week on each trip actually looks like, so you can pick the one that fits your goals, your schedule, and your comfort zone.
What Every Smiles Movement Dental Volunteer Trip Includes
Before comparing destinations, it helps to know that every Smiles Movement SLT follows a similar nine-day rhythm, whether you land in Cusco, Riobamba, or Lima.
After you arrive and settle into your hostel, the first couple of days are spent on orientation and a Reality Tour, an immersive visit to the low-income communities where MEDLIFE works, so you understand the context before you start volunteering.
From there, you move into four days of Mobile Dental Clinics: your group travels to different communities each day, sets up, and works clinic stations under the supervision of local dentists. Supporting patient intake, assisting with cleanings, and helping run oral health education activities for kids and families. Some groups also rotate through a permanent clinic to shadow local doctors handling more complex cases.
The week wraps up with an optional day for tourism and a Sunday departure. Trips include dorm accommodation, meals on clinic days, in-country transportation, an English-speaking Trip Leader, and safety equipment; flights, tips, and weekend meals are on you.
If you want a broader sense of what these programs feel like day to day, this piece on shadowing dentists on volunteer trips walks through the clinic experience in more detail.
Dental Volunteer Trips for Students in Peru
1. Lima, Peru
Lima is where Smiles Movement's dental work is based, so this trip has a few specifics worth knowing. You'll land at Jorge Chávez International Airport, where a MEDLIFE associate meets you before you head to the hostel.
The week opens with a walking tour of Miraflores and an orientation session, then moves into the Reality Tour through the "pueblos jóvenes" in Lima's southern districts, informal settlements where nearly a million residents live without reliable access to water, electricity, or healthcare.
Tuesday through Friday are Mobile Clinic days: your team travels to a different community each morning, opens the clinic around 8–9 am, works through a lunch break, and closes by early afternoon.
Students also spend time at a permanent clinic shadowing local dentists on more involved cases, including extractions and dentures. Most groups close out the week with an optional day trip to Ica before departing on Sunday.
2. Cusco, Peru
Cusco's SLT follows this same structure: orientation and a Reality Tour early in the week, followed by four days of Mobile Dental Clinics in partner communities, and a final free day before departure.
Students rotate through clinic stations, help manage patient flow, and support oral health workshops aimed at local children and families, while local dentists lead any complex procedures.
For students who also want cultural immersion, Cusco's Andean setting adds an extra layer of context to the service work: you're learning about oral health access in a region with its own distinct history and healthcare gaps.
Since these trips run in Peru and Ecuador specifically, students weighing Cusco against other stops in the region may find this overview of school oral health programs in Peru and Ecuador useful for comparing what community-based dental education looks like across both countries.
Volunteer Trips for Pre-Dental Students in Ecuador
Riobamba, Ecuador
The Riobamba SLT runs on the same nine-day framework: arrival and orientation, a Reality Tour into the communities MEDLIFE partners with, four days of Mobile Dental Clinics, and an optional tourism day before you head home.
As with the other trips, volunteers work clinic stations under supervision, help with patient education, and get exposure to how dental care reaches communities with limited access to it.
Ecuador gives students a different vantage point than Peru on the same core issue: how mobile clinics and consistent follow-up care close gaps in oral healthcare for families who wouldn't otherwise see a dentist. If Riobamba has you curious about how MEDLIFE structures the volunteer experience once you're on the ground, this walkthrough of a volunteer's step-by-step journey is a good next read.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dental Volunteer Trips
1. How many volunteer hours can I earn on one of these trips?
The exact number of hours depends on your specific itinerary and how you document your participation in the mobile clinics, but a one-week SLT typically includes several full days of supervised clinical work, in addition to community education activities.
2. Do I need prior clinical experience to participate?
No. These trips are designed as service-learning experiences: students assist licensed dentists with tasks such as patient flow, oral health education, and clinical support, without performing procedures unsupervised.
3. Which destination is best for me: Cusco, Riobamba, or Lima?
All three follow the same structure of mobile clinics and Reality Tour, so the choice usually depends on which country interests you most (Peru vs. Ecuador) and whether you prefer the Andean setting of Cusco/Riobamba or the urban experience of Lima.
Join the Smiles Movement to Understand Global Oral Health
Ready to reserve your spot on a dental service learning trip this winter? Fill out the form to receive all the information about available dates, costs, and next steps for Cusco, Riobamba, or Lima.
You can also download our brochure to learn more about upcoming opportunities or support long-term impact by becoming a monthly donor.
