Dental Program Brings Latino Values


To California Community


By Beatriz Roppe, Director of Health Promotion at Colaborativo Saber


Closing the Gap, Cultural Competency Part II • February/March 2001


Tuesday mornings you will find Imelda Perez in front of a 

group of 10 to 12 mothers waving tooth brushes, dental 

floss, and a large plastic model of perfect teeth. Imelda will 

talk to the group about the difference between cleaning teeth versus 

merely brushing. 

Imelda is one of seven promotoras de salud, or health promoters, 

who teaches an eight-week dental health curriculum called Sonrisitas, 

or Little Smiles. The program is part of Colaborativo Saber, a school 

and community-based organization in San Diego, California. Spanish-speaking parents, mostly mothers, come to the Sherman Heights 

Community Center for the program. After the pláticas, or talks, the 

parents are better prepared to help their families and children develop 

good oral health practices. 

As a local resident of the predominantly Latino community, Imelda 

and her fellow promotoras, Hilda, Berta, Angeles, Rosario, and 

Obdulia, are the best individuals to share health information with 

fellow Latinas. Many parents are monolingual, far from home, confused, frightened, or suspicious of the U.S. medical and dental systems. Imelda and the other dedicated promotoras understand and live 

the values of the community they serve. They are proud of their 

community and proud of the work they do. Orgullo, or pride, is an 

important motivator for Latinas and drives the development of the 

health promotion work that goes on in Sherman Heights. 

Culturally Appropriate Care 

Sonrisitas is a culturally appropriate program that relies on the 

traditional Latino promotoras model to change behavior and educate 

the community about dental health. The model uses the natural support system that exists within the Latino community. It is an informal 

system that helps people and families, utilizes existing resources as well 

as alternative sources of support, and is based on confianza (confidence) and respecto (respect). Latinos value interpersonal relationships 

and turn to individuals to confide in. To assure the success of our 

promotoras model, the community we serve has to respect and have 

confidence in our promotoras and our messages. 

To help ensure success, our promotoras are recruited and educated through Colaborativo Saber’s Instituto de Promotoras. 

Colaborativo Saber’s dental health program—Sonrisitas—is one of 

four projects and was developed and designed with input from 

promotoras and parents. Working together in a collaborative effort is 

one attribute of the Latino culture. Colectivismo (working together), is 

associated with high levels of personal interdependence and facilitates 

working in unison to problem solve issues that affect the community. 

As members of the target community and its social network, promotoras 

are ideal individuals to promote health and reach their community. 

The parents who attend the Sonrisitas program have confianza 

in the promotoras. Promotoras help change behavior through the 

Latino value of the extended family. Familismo, seeing the family as 

the primary social unit and support system, is an important Latino 

characteristic. The value works to keep parents open to education and 

information programs that will assist them in keeping the family healthy 

and well. 

Curriculum is User-Friendly 

The Sonrisitas curriculum is user friendly, has a pleasing and 

professional presentation. It is written in Spanish for the promotoras, 

who are not required to memorize the material. From the precision of 

the graphics and illustrations, to the quality of the paper and the 

binder, the curriculum values the sensibilities of the Latino culture by 

acknowledging the emphasis placed on appearance. The effort taken 

to give the materials a professional look reflects the respect the Instituto 

de Promotoras holds for the promotoras who use the materials and the 

participants who take the materials home to share with family and 

friends. 

The curriculum fosters lasting behavior change through role 

modeling, group activities, skill building, and goal setting. The 

Sonrisitas curriculum acknowledges the high degree of family formation, structure, and function of Latino households. The curriculum 

accentuates the positive and recognizes that Latinos have healthy habits, including good nutrition practices as well as moderate smoking 

and drinking habits. 

The eight-week, hour-long sessions emphasize family dental 

health throughout the lifespan. Topics covered include: the primary 

teeth and the importance of preventing baby bottle tooth decay; 

proper teeth cleaning and the use of dental floss; the basics of nutrition and choosing healthy snacks for children; the importance of 

sealants and fluoride; and locating and accessing dental resources in 

the community. In true Latino fashion, the classes conclude with a 

graduation fiesta where the whole family is invited and the participants receive a diploma! 

For more information on the Sonrisitas program and Colaborativo 

Saber’s Instituto de Promotoras, on developing a promotora model, or 

on-site training for existing promotoras, contact: Beatriz Roppe, (619) 

225-1032 or e-mail bearoppe@pacbell.net

Office of Minority Health Resource Center U.S. Department of Health and Human Services