ADA Holds Second Annual Dental Olympics at SmileCon® 2023

Dental Olympics is back for a second year at SmileCon® 2023. Students from dental schools in Florida and Puerto Rico will go head-to-head in a series of competitive events that will take place on Oct. 6 and 7 during SmileCon in Orlando, Florida, at the Orange County Convention Center.

Opening this year’s Dental Olympics will be Dr. ArNelle Wright, an Orlando dentist, speaker, and co-host of the American Dental Association’s Dental Sound Bites podcast. The Dental Olympics are sponsored by Pacific Dental Services (PDS).

“I’m excited that Pacific Dental Services is once again sponsoring the Dental Olympics at SmileCon this year,” said Gary Pickard, senior director of government and industry affairs for PDS. “It is an honour to support this incredible new concept, and I look forward to seeing it grow, getting bigger every year with more dental schools and students participating. As they are the future of our industry, we need them to feel welcome and be engaged as soon and as much as possible.”

This year, teams from the University of Florida College of Dentistry, LECOM School of Dental Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, and the University of Puerto Rico School of Dental Medicine will take part in several competitive events that will test their skills and put their knowledge to the test. Students will participate in a Social Media Competition and face off in dental trivia and other challenges throughout the two-day event. The winning team will be announced on the last day of SmileCon, Oct. 7.

“Our first-ever Dental Olympics brought a lot of fun to SmileCon last year, and we’re excited to continue this tradition in Orlando,” said Dr. George R. Shepley, 2022-2023 president of the ADA. “We welcome these young, aspiring dentists from across the U.S. into our community to foster comradery with their peers and inspire them as they get a chance to connect with industry professionals, all while enjoying a little friendly competition during the events.”

Located in Dental Central’s South Halls A and B, the four teams will participate in events at the ADA Hub and around Dental Central. Attendees are welcome to cheer on their favourite teams and enjoy the competition with the provided refreshments.

SmileCon’s Dental Olympics 2023 will adhere to the following schedule of events:

• Day 1: Friday, Oct. 6, from 2-3:30 p.m. at the ADA Hub, includes the kickoff of the Social Media Competition, which runs from Friday afternoon to Saturday at noon and invites students to post from specific areas at SmileCon and around Orlando. Also on Friday is the first round of Dental Trivia, pitting LECOM against the University of Florida and Nova Southeastern against the University of Puerto Rico.
• Day 2: Saturday, Oct. 7, from 9 a.m. at the Dental Team Hub and ADA Hub, includes a variety of other challenges as well as the Dental Trivia Finals, featuring the winners from Day One’s events. The overall winners of this year’s Dental Olympics will be announced during the Dental Central Closing Party from 1–2:30 p.m. in the ADA Hub.
• For additional information about the above event, contact mediarelations@ada.org.

Editor’s Note: Reporters are invited to follow the ADA on Twitter @AmerDentalAssn and #ADASmileCon for updates from SmileCon.

About the American Dental Association
The not-for-profit ADA is the nation’s largest dental association, representing 159,000 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public’s health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA’s state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the practice of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance has long been a valuable and respected guide to consumer dental care products. The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA), published monthly, is the ADA’s flagship publication and the best-read scientific journal in dentistry. For more information about the ADA, visit ADA.org. For more information on oral health, including prevention, care, and treatment of dental disease, visit the ADA’s consumer website, MouthHealthy.org.

About Pacific Dental Services
Pacific Dental Services^® (PDS) is one of the country’s leading dental and medical support organizations, empowering clinicians with support and autonomy to deliver comprehensive patient care. PDS provides administrative and business operations support, highly skilled staff, and ongoing training and education to help healthcare providers succeed. PDS incorporates the most advanced, proven technologies with best practices and procedures to ensure high-quality care and is a leading advocate for integrating dental and medical care to improve whole-person health. Since its foundation in 1994, PDS has grown to support over 4,100 clinicians (dentists, dental hygienists, physicians, and nurse practitioners) in nearly 1,000 practices across 24 states and continues to expand. To learn more, visit pacificdentalservices.com or connect on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube