Dental Medicine brings special smiles to special olympians
The College of Dental Medicine launched its Special Smiles Dental Health Program at the South Carolina Special Olympics Summer Games held May 12 at Fort Jackson.
From
left are: Drs. Lance Fogle, Carlos Salinas, Cindy Hardin, Jennifer Fogle,
Steven Perlman and Ron Bell.
The games bring together athletes with mental retardation from all over the state.
“It was a first for the college, and it’s a good cause,” said Special Smiles Dental Health Program coordinator Carlos Salinas, DDS. The program brings the oral and dental health needs of persons with mental retardation to public attention.
With the support of the Healthy South Carolina Initiative, Salinas has implemented a dental health program for children with special needs at the college’s Department of Pediatric Dentistry.
At the Special Olympics, Special Smiles Program, he recognized an opportunity to increase awareness for dental health issues in persons with mental retardation, their families and their coaches.
“This type of outreach activity and community involvement is perfectly in line with the objectives of our program,” said Salinas.
He said that it provides a rewarding experience for the dentists, dental students, dental hygienist and volunteers, and it’s a learning experience for both patient and professional.
The Special Smiles Program consists of giving oral dental health screenings to provide the athlete with a report card of oral health status. A personal hygiene demonstration is included along with a gift—a toothbrush, toothpaste, a booklet with oral health instructions and a toy.
To perform the project, Salinas put together a team of 30 volunteers.
The dentists included Drs. Steven Perlman, Ronald Bell, Cynthia Hardin,
Jennifer Fogle, Kelly McNeil. In addition, there were Drs. Maria A. Cordova,
Susanne Hardwicks, Lance Fogle, from Charleston; from Columbia, Drs. Charlie
Brooks and Dough McPherson; and from Aiken, Dr. Rocky Napier.
Dental student participants included Valerie Opala, Minh Nguyen, Nhung
Phan, Rich Resler, and Fred Broadhead.
Also attending was a group of dental hygienists, L. Morrison (MUSC), J. Gregor, J. Sutton, K. Hoefer, C. Milejcak, C. Estes, B. Marchi and R. McNeil, all from Columbia, and J. LaCoppola who was charged with the administration of this project.
“The project, which now numbers more than 100 sites in the United States
and abroad, could not have occurred without the commitment and support
of colleagues, students, dental hygienists and volunteers at large,” Salinas
said. “This year the team gratefully acknowledges the support received
from the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the South
Carolina Dental Association and MUSC College of Dental Medicine.”