September 22, 2022

For dental hygiene student Tymarin Ward, it was only natural that he volunteered at the 2022 Special Olympics Maryland Summer Games. "My older brother has autism,” says Ward, who is a second-year student in the dual-degree Clinical Dental Hygiene Leader program at the School of Dentistry. “This is something I’ve wanted to do for a while.” Ward, along with 47 other dental and dental hygiene students, provided oral health care services to athletes through the Special Smiles Program — the dental health component of the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes Village. Started in 1997, Healthy Athletes offers free screenings including vision, hearing, and dental, in a welcoming and fun environment.

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Depicted: University of Maryland School of Dentistry student volunteers demonstrate proper brushing techniques to Special Olympics athletes.