At the Special Olympics New Zealand 2009 National Summer Games, 10 volunteer dentists screened the athletes’ oral health. Colgate New Zealand provided toothpaste for every athlete and Colgate International donated battery-operated toothbrushes for all athletes who completed the Special Smiles screening.
A total of 925 athletes competed the Special Smiles screening during the 2009 National Summer Games. Untreated tooth decay was found in 131 (14.2%) athletes; 380 (41.1%) athletes were found to have gum disease and 308 had missing teeth.
Nineteen athletes were referred for urgent care; 149 for non-urgent and 663 were referred for maintenance care.
Mike Freeman +64 4 560 0357