Dr Londiwe Sibisi-Maboye, a proud alumna of Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) and Founder of the Kids Dental Home Foundation (KDHF), has made history as the first African dentist to win first place in the Bright Smiles, Bright Futures Award, sponsored by Colgate. The award was presented at the 2025 International Association of Paediatric Dentistry (IAPD) Congress in Cape Town (22–25 October), honouring trailblazers advancing innovative, preventive oral health programmes for children.
Her winning initiative, Saving Smiles in Africa: A Multi-Faceted Initiative to Transform Paediatric Oral Health in Underserved Communities, stood out for its measurable impact, innovation, and compassion. Founded during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, KDHF is a non-profit organisation dedicated to transforming children’s oral health through prevention, education, and access to care. What began as a response to children waiting months for essential dental services has evolved into a continent-wide movement of hope and prevention.
Transforming Oral Health, One Smile at a Time
Since its inception, KDHF has:
- Performed 41 free dental surgeries for children suffering from Early Childhood Caries (ECC).
- Conducted more than 3,000 dental screenings in communities across Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and Zimbabwe.
- Trained and empowered over 4,000 caregivers, teachers, and children through Preventive Oral Health Education Workshops.
- Introduced hundreds of children to their first-ever dental visit through the affiliated Kids Dental Home practice in Montana Park, Pretoria.
The foundation’s Mobile Dental Truck is its crown jewel — a fully equipped, travelling dental clinic and classroom that takes oral health directly to schools, hospitals, churches, and rural communities. It offers free treatment and delivers hands-on education about hygiene and nutrition, making oral health accessible, inclusive, and empowering.
“Our mission is simple,” says Dr Sibisi-Maboye. “We meet families where they are — at home, in schools, or in community halls — and we teach that prevention isn’t just a dental concept; it’s a community lifestyle.”
Sibisi-Maboye credits her alma mater, SMU, for laying the ethical and professional foundation that guides her work. “SMU taught me that healthcare is both a science and a service,” she says. “That understanding drives everything we do at KDHF.”
Her recognition on the international stage reflects not only her personal dedication but also underscores SMU’s enduring legacy of producing socially conscious, globally competitive healthcare professionals.
Now based at both SMU and the University of Pretoria, Sibisi-Maboye serves as a part-time lecturer at both institutions — in the Department of Operative Dentistry at SMU and the Department of Odontology at the University of Pretoria — where she mentors dental students. She is shaping a new generation of practitioners who see dentistry not merely as a career, but as a vehicle for change. “This award belongs to the children we serve — the heartbeat of our mission. Every smile we save is a future transformed,” she affirms.
Sibisi-Maboye’s journey — from student to international award-winning innovator — exemplifies how passion, purpose, and perseverance can redefine public health. Through KDHF’s partnerships with hospitals, universities, and corporate sponsors, she continues to unite communities under one shared goal: ensuring that every child has access to a healthy, confident smile.
Her story is a powerful reminder that the greatest change often begins with one act of care — and that every SMU graduate carries the potential to make a global impact.
By Tumelo Moila
