Dentistry, Dental Hygiene Students Volunteer
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| Dental student Aaron Stump was one of 20 dental school students, faculty, and staff providing dental screenings and education at the Lilly center's health fair. |
On June 2, while a group of IU dental students stayed in town to volunteer for the Ruth Lilly Health Education Center's community health awareness fair, 29 dental hygiene students headed for Indiana State University in Terre Haute to lend a hand to athletes competing in the state's annual Special Olympics.
The dental students and accompanying faculty and staff from the oral facial development and community and preventive dentistry departments provided dental screenings and education, including tooth-brushing instruction and demonstrations of an intraoral camera, to participants of the Lilly center's "Hip, Health, Hooray," a day-long program stressing high-tech, hands-on health education for the public.
In Terre Haute, the dental hygiene students and faculty teamed up with community dentists and members of IU's community dentistry division to promote oral health and well-being among athletes with intellectual disabilities. Their efforts were part of the Special Olympic Healthy Athletes™ initiative, which also drew volunteers from IU's optometry school and the speech and hearing department.
The dental hygiene students provided oral health education to the participants and fitted many with protective mouth guards to help prevent injuries during the Olympic competitions. Altogether, the dental team conducted dental screenings for more than 200 athletes.
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