U of A dental students host Shared Smiles event for people with disabilities

University of Alberta dental students held a special event Saturday aimed at helping people with disabilities get the dental care they need.

The free event included oral health care tips and techniques, as well as free check ups for anyone with a disability or special needs.

Dental hygiene students partnered with dental students to host the event, which also aimed to teach students to become inclusive in their practices once they head out into the workforce.

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Allora Mason, a third year dental student and co-organizer of the Shared Smiles event said sometimes people with disabilities have barriers to accessing dental care, so part of the work they do is connect people with dentists and dental hygienists who can provide care for them.

“Sometimes family members and caregivers don’t really know what to look out for (with) dental concerns,” she said. “Lots of different disabilities have unique oral health issues or diseases that they may be faced with. Another barrier is they don’t know who to go see as they may have experienced going to a dental office and being turned away because the practitioner wasn’t comfortable or didn’t know how to accommodate the patient.”

Mason added that it’s a great confidence booster for students to interact with the community and see just how easy being accommodating can be.