Special Olympics Healthy Athletes – Special Smiles

Individuals living with intellectual disabilities face greater health issues than others, yet rarely receive adequate care to address their health needs. In partnership with local health professionals from various health disciplines, Healthy Athletes aims to address this issue through offering health services and education to Special Olympics athletes. The goal of the “world largest public health program” is two fold: first, to address individuals living with intellectual disabilities health care needs; second, to improve health professionals’ competence in dealing with this marginalized population.

On March 19, 2016, I volunteered for Special Smiles with the mindset to use the clinical and client management skills I have acquired to give back to the community. In collaboration with student dental hygienists from the University of British Columbia (UBC) Dental Hygiene Degree Program and Vancouver College of Dental Hygiene, we provided free dental screenings, oral health instruction on brushing and flossing, applied fluoride varnish, and issued preventative oral health supplies such as toothbrushes, floss and toothpastes to participating Special Olympics athletes. Throughout the day,  I had the opportunity to reflect on the difficulty this population has in maintaining their oral health, to empathize with their current situation, and to give them support and the skills to improve their current oral health state. This initiative not only gave me experience in  managing clients with intellectual disabilities, but helped fuel within me a passion and desire to work with this population in the future.