Special Smiles® (Dentistry)
The mission of Special Smiles® is to increase access to dental care for Special Olympics athletes, as well as all people with intellectual disabilities. Special Smiles® uses dental screenings to increase awareness of the state of athletes’ oral health for the athletes themselves, as well as their parents and/or caregivers. At a Special Smiles screening, Special Olympics athletes are provided with hygiene education to help ensure they are doing an adequate job of brushing and flossing and nutritional education to understand how their diet affects their total health.
Click here to learn about Special Smiles’ impact across the United States.
During the Special Smiles® Screening, clinicians may perform the following:
- Examine Athletes’ dental history, oral conditions, tooth decay, oral tissue health, injuries, and need for mouth guard
- Educate Athletes how to properly brush their teeth
- Mouth guard fitting
- Provide Athlete with toothpaste and toothbrush to keep
- Educate Athletes and family members
