The University of Louisville School of Dentistry was well represented at the Special Olympics National Games held recently in Ames, Iowa. Andrew Dill, a fellow in the department of orthodontic, pediatric and geriatric dentistry developmental dentistry fellowship, and Jeremy Hood, a fourth year student at ULSD, participated in the Special Olympics Special Smiles program at the National Games.
Special Smiles is a dental screening program that screens Special Olympics athletes for dental disease and compiles an oral health database. The Special Smiles database is the largest oral health database of its kind in the world.
Steven Perlman, a Massachusetts pediatric dentist, originally founded the Special Smiles program to help increase access to dental care for Americans with intellectual disabilities. Perlman’s program has experienced phenomenal growth and now screens over 25,000 athletes at 127 screening events in 27 countries, worldwide.
The Special Olympics Special Smiles experience is one that teaches young doctors the art of compassion and the satisfaction that comes with treating patients with intellectual disabilities, while exposing them to global leaders in public health advocacy.
