Special Smiles

Heat, humidity and an occasional shower have not dampened the spirit of volunteerism and the Special Olympics World Games at the School of Dentistry and the UNC Chapel Hill campus. The sounds of different languages, colorful team uniforms, celebrities, reporters with cameras, laughter and applause for the teams registering at the Special Smiles program make a festive occasion for dental volunteers and athletes at the UNC student union. Dentistry volunteer coordinator Nancy St. Onge and her team of 65 volunteers from the school are joining other dental professionals to share their expertise in the Special Smiles program.

Dental volunteers are screening athletes, applying sealants and fitting mouth guards. Between June 26 and July 3, dental volunteers hope to screen 4,500 athletes. During the first four days 1232 athletes were screened, 698 mouth guards were fitted, and 43 athletes had sealants applied. St Onge, a dental health educator in the department of pediatric dentistry, reports that the numbers of athletes participating should increase as a regular shuttle has been added to bring athletes housed in Raleigh to the UNC Campus.

The screening data will be used by the Center of Disease Control to learn about the dental health of people with development disabilities. Individual teams will receive the screening results for each athlete and athletes needing follow-up care will be encouraged to see a dentist.

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