The Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry is opening its dental clinic for the Healthy Athletes – Special Smiles program, which provides free dental screening to participants in the 2010 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games being held at The University of Western Ontario this week.
The program is designed to help Special Olympic athletes improve their health and fitness, leading to enhanced sports experience and improved well-being. The Healthy Athletes program is offered in more than 100 countries, and has provided free health screenings to more than 700,000 athletes.
The Western initiative will be held at Schulich’s main dental clinic, and will run today (4 to 9 p.m.), Tuesday (9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Wednesday (12:30 to 7:30 p.m.) Volunteer dentists, dental students, staff and oral hygienists will check the athletes’ teeth and gums and provide educational resources and mouth guards where necessary.
Healthy Athletes is offering two other programs in addition to Special Smiles. Fit Feet will have certified podiatrists checking over the athletes’ feet, ankles, gait, shoes and socks. Educational resources on foot care and shoe sizing will be provided. If necessary, the athlete will be referred to a local podiatrist.
Opening Eyes will have certified optometrists, ophthalmologists and opticians providing a range of vision tests. Glasses will be provided where necessary, or the athlete could be referred for further care. Both of these screening programs will be held in Elgin Hall (1421 Western Road). Clinic times are the same as for Special Smiles.