People with disabilities may have medical and oral conditions that require special oral health care, or they may need to access conventional dental health care with specialized accommodations or innovative approaches. Check these sites for more information.
Sponsored by the University of Washington’s DECOD (Dental Education in Care of Persons with Disabilities) program, this web site is designed to link a person with a disability who is in need of dental care to dental professionals who can provide such care. The listings are fairly limited (we only found two in New York State) and there are no stated criteria for inclusion, but it’s a good place to start.
This comprehensive overview by Jim Bubenik, a dentist who specializes in working with people with disabilities, was originally posted on the “Our Kids” listserv. Topics covered include finding an appropriate dentist, anesthesia, brushing, grinding, and more.
The National Oral Health Information Clearinghouse, a service of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, focuses on the oral health information needs of people with medical and disabling conditions. NOHIC produces and distributes patient and professional education materials including fact sheets, brochures, and information packets. NOHIC also maintains an extensive Oral Health Database at CHID Online.
The International Association for Disability and Oral Health “exists to serve as a focus for national academies, associations, societies and federations as well as individuals striving to improve access to, and the quality of, oral health for people with disabilities.” The web site provides information about the association and a list of links.