Community Living Ontario, Axiom News
Excerpt from the Article:
Inspiration can come at the most unexpected times.
This was the case for first-year University of Toronto (U of T) dental student Ali Sigal, who was shopping for a gift for her mother’s birthday at Hallmark.
Always talkative and loving to share ideas, Ali began to tell the female sales clerk how she had been entertaining the idea of starting a campaign to raise money for Mount Sinai Hospital’s Dental Clinic for Persons with Special Needs, which provides dental services to people who have a disability or to those who have other special needs.
Upon hearing this, the woman immediately broke into tears. Ali, unsure of what she’d done, asked if the woman was OK.
“It turns out that her two children have autism and she can’t find a dentist to treat them,” recalls Ali…
Oral Health, Total Health.
With your generosity,
we can
make a difference.
Did You Know?
-
To ensure proper oral hygiene,
try brushing your teeth
how they grow:
FROM the gum line,
and onto the teeth. -
The gum line is the area most missed when brushing;
coincidently it is
of importance for
one’s oral health. -
The most important
time to brush your
teeth is before
you go to bed. -
You can boil a rubber door stop and try using it as a mouth prop to assist in brushing the
teeth of individuals
who may not be
willing to open
their mouths. -
Use a pea size amount of fluoridated toothpaste when brushing, it is okay
if this small amount
is swallowed. -
When brushing the teeth of a person with special needs, if possible, have the
individual sit so
you can stand
behind them. -
The oral cavity plays a prominent role in an individual’s quality of life as it pertains to communication, nutrition, emotional expression, taste, social appearance and self-esteem
-
Increasing numbers of people with mental retardation no longer live in institutions, and
are dependent on
dentists in
private practice
for care. -
Current research shows that persons with disabilities have greater levels of
periodontal
disease. -
Current research shows that persons with disabilities present with a poorer state
of oral hygiene. -
In Ontario, with over 12 million residents; approximately
1.85 million people
have a disability. -
In Canada in 2006, 14.3% of the population had a disability representing
4.4 million people.
