ATSU-ASDOH celebrates 5th annual Day for Special Smiles
Posted: November 9, 2015
Day for Special Smiles, which ATSU-ASDOH and Special Olympics Arizona created and launched in 2011, fills a critical role for Arizonans with special needs. The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the dominant health insurer for the majority of this population, does not cover dental care for those 21 or above. As a result, many special needs individuals suffer from untreated oral diseases.
For one patient with only nine teeth left, Day for Special Smiles helped curb years of pain and discomfort. Every time he ate, he endured pain, and also suffered from severe oral infections as a result of the condition his remaining teeth were in. A day after receiving proper dental care, he reported that the pain he felt from the extractions was less than any pain he had felt the last two years.
Day for Special Smiles faculty coordinator Mai-Ly Duong, DMD, MPH, ’12, assistant professor, says the importance of Day for Special Smiles is three-fold.
“At the school level, we are able to teach our students about how to provide care to people with special needs so that we can graduate students who are more likely to treat this population. Additionally, we are able to provide them an opportunity to learn from different health disciplines. At the local level, we are able to provide treatment to people with urgent health needs that have limited ways of getting treatment. And finally, we are raising awareness at the state and national level about how critically important it is for our adult special needs population to receive oral healthcare,” says Dr. Duong.
Patients also received a medical and muscular screening from other ATSU health professions students who volunteered during the event.
Highlights:
- 6 students/faculty from ATSU-School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona
- 5 physician assistant students/faculty from ATSU-Arizona School of Health Sciences
- 3 occupational therapy students/faculty from ATSU-Arizona School of Health Sciences
- 5 doctor of audiology students/faculty from ATSU-Arizona School of Health Sciences
- 13 athletic training students/faculty from ATSU-Arizona School of Health Sciences
- 151 volunteers total and more than 1,000 volunteer hours provided
- More than $15,000 in dental treatment was provided by ATSU-ASDOH
For information on how you can support Day For Special Smiles, including volunteer opportunities, please contact mduong@atsu.edu.
