Special Smiles® at 2025 Summer Games
Updated: Aug 14, 2025
Amid the cheers, high-fives, and medal moments at our 2025 Summer Games, we offered three Healthy Athletes screenings — Special Smiles®, Opening Eyes, and Healthy Hearing!
We proudly conducted 123 free dental screenings for Special Olympics athletes. Special Smiles, a key discipline of the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes® initiative, provides athletes with comprehensive oral health screenings, education, and referrals for follow-up care when needed. For many of our athletes, this is one of the few opportunities they have to receive this kind of care in an accessible, supportive environment.
This important work wouldn’t have been possible without our incredible team of dental student volunteers from:
University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine
University of New England College of Dental Medicine
Vermont State University
Center for Technology, Essex
Their dedication, kindness, and professionalism made the screening experience not only effective but welcoming and fun. Thank you for donating your time and talents to make a lasting difference in the lives of our athletes.
Special Olympics Vermont is deeply grateful for these partnerships and for the continued support of our Healthy Athletes programming. It’s through efforts like these that we help athletes stay healthy and confident, both on and off the playing field.
Thank you to everyone who helped us spread smiles at the 2025 Summer Games!
I love how Special Smiles is contributing to the 2025 Summer Games! It’s inspiring to see health initiatives for athletes with intellectual disabilities. How do you think participation in events like this impacts their confidence and social skills? Also, does anyone else connect these community efforts back to themes in games like FNAF, where teamwork can be crucial?
Players who enjoy chasing personal records will find plenty of motivation in Slope Game. Beating a previous score provides a clear sense of progress, and even a small improvement can make another attempt feel worthwhile.
I found this volunteer effort inspiring because dental students from several schools came together to provide screenings while making the experience welcoming for the athletes. Their willingness to share their time, skills, and kindness shows how collaboration can create a meaningful impact. That same spirit of working with different elements reminds me of Melon Playground, a physics sandbox game where I can create scenes, test setups, and explore different possibilities.