WORCESTER, Mass. — World Smile Day in Worcester this year marked a Guinness World Record setting day.

Harvey Ball created the iconic smiley face in 1963 in Worcester. Now, 60 years later on World Smile Day, more than 20,000 people came together to set the Guinness World Record of largest online photo album of mouths.

“You ended up with 21,274 photos," Guinness World Records Adjudicator Michael Empric said. "It’s a new Guinness World Records title.”

Smile Train started the campaign to set the newly created record in July; the organization provides free cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children globally.

“It’s a lot of smiles," Smile Train president & CEO Susannah Schaefer said. "We're here to raise awareness for cleft lip and palate treatment and Smile Train, sustainable model of treatment. Just making sure that people who have clefts can go on and live a full and healthy life.”

“I'm excited to be here," Empric said. "You know, Smile Train does such great work and Guinness World Records is all about recognizing ordinary people doing amazing things.”

Also receiving world record setting recognition is Dentsply Sirona; the dental equipment manufacturing company worked alongside Smile Train to promote the campaign and now they’re making a donation to honor its success.

“We have a five year, $5-million partnership with Smile Train," Dentsply Sirona Senior VP of Customer Experience Erania Brackett said. "And on top of that, we want to do another $120,000 to continue to raise awareness and increase access around the world for children with cleft palates.”

The message behind World Smile Day is “Do one act of kindness – help one person smile.” The Smile Train and Dentsply executives said it’s an honor to celebrate in the city where the day originated 25 years ago.

“The smile is truly Harvey Ball," Worcester Historical Museum executive director William Wallace said. "He was concerned that that Worcester's recognition or the recognition of the world that this smiley face came from Worcester was being lost in the 1990s. So, we had the very first World Smile Day.”

Now the mission continues to help create smiles across the globe, beyond World Smile Day.

“There's so much behind a smile and for so many, they're not able to just get that initial kind of flush of confidence as they're growing up," Brackett said. "But if we can correct those palates and give them a chance and a shot, they can live productive and really meaningful lives and have that confidence that we all deserve.”

The world record setting online photo album of smiling mouths can be viewed at everysmile.org.