Healthy Athletes Special Smiles dental screening promotes health access
A big shoutout to the incredible UCC team of dental students and dental hygiene students lead by two super UCH dentists who delivered an outstanding Healthy Athletes – Special Smiles screening in Cork last Saturday.
From the start the team created a relaxed, welcoming environment, providing thorough dental screenings, hands-on practical demonstrations on dental models and helpful advice. This was all delivered with genuine enthusiasm for every athlete they met, and every parent or carer they offered advice to. The team went above and beyond to support healthier smiles and happier athletes.
For the UCC students, the screening offered real-world, hands-on experience that simply can’t be replicated in a classroom. They had the chance to work directly with our athletes with intellectual disabilities, helping them grow their communication skills, confidence, and understanding of inclusive healthcare.
For our athletes, the screening was an important opportunity to access dental health in a supportive and accessible way, especially given that our population sometimes finds the dentist a frightening experience - these screenings were the opposite, allowing athletes to benefit from the positive and relaxed approach.