“How is it that I am able to attend university and connect with people around the globe, while another girl, equally passionate and determined to succeed, is denied these opportunities simply due to her less privileged background?” This was a question that often lingered in the mind of Nur Aimi Abdul Razak and became the inspiration behind the Universiti Malaya (UM)-National University of Singapore (NUS) collaboration.
Many people take for granted the information and knowledge readily available to them. They know to brush their teeth before bed and understand that they can improve their hard and soft skills by watching online videos. Yet, this information may not be accessible to everyone, especially those from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. This inequality inspired ten dental students from UM to initiate a project that not only promotes oral health education but also exposes underprivileged children to new opportunities, empowering them to change their socioeconomic and educational futures. After all, how can anyone broaden their horizons if they are not encouraged to look beyond daily struggles?
As a testament to international collaboration, the UM dental students partnered with two engineering students from the NUS to launch Smile with the Samaritans, a community service project benefiting the Good Samaritan Home in Klang, Selangor. Led by Miss Nur Aimi Abdul Razak and supervised by Professor Dr. Norintan Ab Murat, the team conducted the programme over a series of visits, combining hands-on and digital activities to teach the children of the orphanage about oral hygiene, nutrition, and healthy habits for lasting oral health.
UM students led sessions on brushing techniques and set up interactive and digital educational booths designed to engage younger children. For those under 12, digital tools included a self-developed game titled Eat It, where children guided a tooth to eat only healthy foods. Older children explored virtual health-themed booths on the digital platform GatherTown, where they played crosswords and drawing games to reinforce key concepts in a fun, interactive way.
Recognising the power of digital outreach, the team produced 17 educational videos on oral hygiene and healthy living, which have garnered over 18,000 views on social media since November 2024. These videos were also used throughout the programme to reinforce key messages.
Beyond health education, UM and NUS students also gave career talks, broadening the children’s horizons and inspiring them to consider future paths in healthcare and engineering. These children had limited exposure to professional careers, so such insights were particularly valuable. The NUS students offered perspectives on engineering, emphasizing resilience and creativity, while the UM students highlighted healthcare careers, helping the children imagine brighter futures for themselves and their communities.
The project concluded with motivational talks from the Business Networking Club (BNC) Malaysia, which also sponsored a laptop for the home, a resource expected to greatly benefit the children by improving digital literacy and expanding educational access. BNC’s contribution highlighted the critical role of industry partnerships in bringing resources that enriched the programme’s impact and sustainability. Each child received an Oral Health Education (OHE) kit with eco-friendly materials to support healthy practices.
The collaboration aligned with UM’s mission to “Internationalize, Industrialize, and Communitize” its outreach programmes, allowing students from both universities to exchange insights into community needs and health challenges in Malaysia and Singapore. The activities also reflected the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in health, education, and sustainability, showcasing a powerful model for future cross-border public health initiatives.
This initiative exemplifies the power of partnerships in higher education, with students from both universities and industry partners sharing knowledge and empowering underprivileged children to practise oral self-care, nurture their potential, and break free from the limitations imposed by their birth circumstances. As UM and NUS continue to internationalise their educational approaches, the Smile with the Samaritans project stands as a model for how students from different fields and nations can work together to create lasting change in underprivileged communities.
The project has garnered international recognition, winning the Best Project Award at the Student Community Engagement Competition organized by the South East Asia Association for Dental Education (SEAADE). It has also been awarded the Best Oral Health Promotion Poster Prize by the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry (BASCD) during a scientific meeting held in Cardiff in June 2025. At the local level, the project swept multiple accolades, including Best Overall Project, Most Impactful Project, and Best Presentation. These achievements reflect not only the dedication and hard work of the students but also the meaningful, lasting impact the project has made on the communities it serves.