In the 1980’s Dr. Krefting became involved in volunteer work for those unable to have dental work. She began treating the children of Chernobyl, who spent a summer in the US after the nuclear disaster.

Dr. Krefting also became the dentist for the “lost boys” of Sudan, the orphans who survived the civil war and genocide. Many of these children had serious dental needs, as Sudanese tribes had a custom of removing or reshaping multiple teeth as a rite of passage. 

In 2013, Dr. Krefting was invited to be a research evaluator for the CR Foundation, an industry group whose mission is to confirm efficacy and clinical usefulness of new dental products.

She has gone to Central America 3 times with a full dental team and equipment, giving dental treatment to children and adults in remote villages living in poverty. Many of these people have never had access to dental care before.