Smile Train, the world’s largest cleft-focused organization, has set a Guinness World Record for creating the largest online photo album of smiling mouths. The achievement was celebrated at the Worcester Historical Museum in Worcester, Massachusetts, the birthplace of Harvey Ball, the creator of the iconic smiley face.
A total of 21,274 people from around the world uploaded their smiles to contribute to this historic record. Michael Empric, a Guinness World Records adjudicator, verified the results and presented Smile Train with an Official Record Holder certificate.
The event took place on World Smile Day®, a day dedicated to spreading kindness and goodwill through smiles. Smile Train President and CEO, Susannah Schaefer, expressed her excitement about the global effort and said that the achievement is a win for the cleft community and individuals born with facial differences.
Smile Train launched this ambitious campaign in July, during National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention month. Samantha Hanratty, a Smile Train Celebrity Ambassador and actress on Showtime’s Yellowjackets, kicked off the campaign by sharing her smile.
Dentsply Sirona, a longtime corporate partner of Smile Train and the world’s largest manufacturer of professional dental products and technologies, joined the campaign by pledging a donation of $20,000 USD. However, impressed by the overwhelming response, they increased their contribution to $120,000 USD. Erania Brackett, Senior Vice President of Orthodontic Aligner Solutions & Customer Experience and Head of Sustainability at Dentsply Sirona, emphasized their commitment to providing life-changing surgeries and comprehensive cleft care globally.
Smile Train empowers local medical professionals by providing training, funding, and resources to deliver free cleft surgeries and comprehensive care to children worldwide. Their sustainable approach ensures that donations have both an immediate and long-term impact on improving children’s lives, enabling them to eat, breathe, speak, and thrive.
This Guinness World Records achievement not only showcases the power of smiles but also highlights the incredible work of Smile Train in transforming the lives of children with clefts. The recognition on World Smile Day® serves as a reminder of the endless possibilities when people come together with kindness and goodwill.
