On October 22, Dental Hygiene faculty, students and alumni volunteered for the Fall Special Olympics Games held in Glens Falls. As almost 1,200 athletes were completing their games, they were all encouraged to visit four screening sections that allowed them to participate in various health screenings from Dental Screenings, Physical Therapy, Healthy Hearing and Strong Feet.
Despite a mistaken belief that people with intellectual disabilities receive the same or better health care than others, they typically receive sub-standard care or virtually no health care at all. For every 10 athletes on a Special Olympics team:
2 – have never had an eye exam
4 – need a new prescription for glasses
2 – have potential hearing loss
4 – have untreated tooth decay and 1–2 are in need of urgent dental care
Special Smiles volunteers provided each athlete with an oral screening, oral hygiene instruction, a goodie bag including a toothbrush, floss and toothpaste, and a custom protective mouth guard for their next sporting competition.
