Henry Schein Renews Special Olympics Oral Health Deal to 2030

Henry Schein Extends Special Olympics Partnership Through 2030 to Broaden Oral Health Access 

MELVILLE, New York, United States — August 18, 2026 — Henry Schein Inc. has renewed its long-standing collaboration with Special Olympics through 2030, extending a partnership that provides essential oral health screenings and medical care products to athletes with intellectual disabilities at global events — a development that underscores the growing emphasis on inclusive oral healthcare access within the Orthodontic Market,  projected to reach USD 139.80 billion by 2035, according to Next Move Strategy Consulting. 

The renewed agreement, which originated in 2018, channels Henry Schein product donations into the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes program — a multi-discipline initiative that has delivered over 2 million free health screenings to athletes worldwide since 1997 and trained more than 300,000 healthcare professionals and students in the care of patients with intellectual disabilities. 

A key component of the partnership is the Special Olympics Special Smiles program, the dental discipline within Healthy Athletes, alongside the pediatric-focused Special Olympics Healthy Young Athletes initiative. Henry Schein most recently donated healthcare products for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, held in June in Minneapolis. 

"Creating healthier communities requires collaboration and sustained commitment — principles that have been central to Henry Schein since our founding in 1932," said Kyle Guerin, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility for Henry Schein Cares. "Extending our partnership with Special Olympics reflects our shared belief that every individual deserves the opportunity to achieve better health and well-being." 

Dr. Dimitri Christakis, Chief Health Officer at Special Olympics, noted that individuals with intellectual disabilities face a life expectancy averaging 16 years shorter than the general population, citing higher health risks and systemic access barriers as primary contributors. "Long-term partnerships are essential to creating lasting change in health outcomes for people with intellectual disabilities," he said. 

Key Highlights: 

• Henry Schein and Special Olympics have extended their partnership through 2030, building on a collaboration that began in 2018. 

• The agreement supports the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes program across nine health disciplines, including Special Smiles for dentistry and Healthy Young Athletes for pediatric care. 

• Since 1997, the Healthy Athletes program has delivered over 2 million free health screenings and trained more than 300,000 healthcare professionals globally. 

• Henry Schein donated healthcare products for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games held in Minneapolis in June 2026, reinforcing the operational scope of the renewed commitment. 

Analyst Insight: 

According to analysts at Next Move Strategy Consulting, the Henry Schein–Special Olympics partnership renewal reflects a broader structural trend within the orthodontic and dental supply sector — where leading distributors are increasingly aligning corporate strategy with inclusive healthcare access to strengthen brand equity and long-term stakeholder trust. NMSC analysts note that as the global orthodontic market advances at a CAGR of 20.79% through 2035, driven by rising oral health awareness, digital treatment adoption, and expanding patient demographics, initiatives that extend care to underserved populations — including individuals with intellectual disabilities — are becoming strategically significant for market participants seeking to demonstrate clinical and social accountability at scale. 

Industry Outlook: 

The renewal of this partnership arrives at a pivotal moment for the orthodontic and broader dental supply industry. With the global orthodontic market on a sustained high-growth trajectory, stakeholders across the value chain — from manufacturers and distributors to clinical service organizations — are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that market expansion translates into measurable improvements in population-level oral health outcomes. 

Henry Schein's continued investment in the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes program signals that major dental distributors view inclusive healthcare access not merely as a philanthropic obligation, but as a core component of long-term market positioning. As regulatory scrutiny of teledentistry and direct-to-consumer orthodontic models intensifies, clinician-led and institution-backed care models that prioritize patient safety and equitable access are expected to gain further prominence across the orthodontic sector through the remainder of the decade. 

Source: Orthodontic Products Online

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Prepared By: Sanyukta Deb