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Special Olympics Ireland Oral Health Awareness Event
Cork Dental School and Hospital were delighted to hold an Oral Health Awareness Day for Special Olympics Ireland.
During semester 1, Cork University Dental School and Hospital were thrilled to welcome athletes from Special Olympics Ireland (SOI) to University College Cork Campus and the Aula Maxima.
The event was opened by Dr Christine McCreary, former Dean of Cork University Dental School (2018 - 2022), who has been an advocate for the fantastic work of Special Olympics Ireland for a number of years.
We had a morning of sharing knowledge with final-year dental and dental hygiene students introducing students to the dental environment and taking the Special Olympians through oral hygiene activities on how to keep their mouth healthy.
There was a great sharing of knowledge between staff of the Dental School and Special Olympics Ireland. Hayley Kavanagh of Special Olympics Ireland provided a wonderful presentation on the work that Special Olympics Ireland is engaged in, in promoting oral health such as oral health screening at particular events. Staff from the Dental School spoke on the essential oral health messages and expressed their interest in wider engagement with SOI events.
We heard from a wonderful Olympian Danielle Cantwell who is a member of Leeside Legends Special Olympics Club in Munster. Danielle is a health messenger for Special Olympics and promotes her message on the importance of staying healthy and following an exercise program to maintain health and well-being.
Cork University Dental School looks forward to working with Special Olympics Ireland promoting their health message in addition to other projects in 2024.