DISABILITIES
DISABILITIES
Children and youth who have special health care needs may also need specialized dental care. When people have physical, intellectual or emotional disabilities, they may have conditions that interfere with effective daily dental hygiene care. In addition, they may be unable to access dental care that meets their specialized needs without driving long distances or waiting months to see a specialist.
Oral Health Kansas established several programs designed to support children and youth needs for individualized and specialized oral health care. These include partnering with state and local agencies serving children and youth as well as schools, distributing public awareness and oral health educational materials, and providing education and training opportunities for all who support the healthy development of children and youth.
Professional Dental Care
Specialized dental care for children and youth can be accessed through a number of private and public health dentists located throughout the state.
Overarching Goal:
To improve the oral health of children and youth with special health care needs
-
Strategies:
- Increase access to professional dental care for children and youth needing specialized care
- Offer continuing dental education programs focusing on children and youth with special health care needs
- Provide educational workshops on oral health care to all who support the health and development of children and youth with special health care needs
- Maintain a statewide network of dental hygienists who are oral health educators
Videos
There are unique challenges to assisting people with developmental disabilities. These videos provide guidance for daily dental care at home and ways to have a successful dental visit.
D - Termined Program – Successful dental office visits for children
teaching families how to participate: David Tessini, DDS, Pediatric Dentist
Brushing The Teeth Of Others
a 12 minute video produced by Kansas Dental Association eaturing an occupational therapist demonstrating assisted guidance with adolescents. This film is designed to provide some basic toothbrushing guidance for caregivers. It examines five students at the Heartspring School in Wichita, KS, with instruction by Tim Koontz, an occupational therapist at the school.
-
Materials
- Newsletter Articles – Oral Health Kansas provides articles for state and local newsletters focusing on issues related to oral health for all children and youth.
- Tips & Tricks – OHK offers more than 35 one-page descriptions of ways to have good dental health
The Lived Experience Advisory Group members prepared a summary of some of the service systems they must navigate in order to access all of the different types of supports and services they need. It is designed for dental offices to help families with referrals they may need such as access to healthy foods or mental health. It is also a way for dental offices to understand the myriad systems people work with. We are sharing the guide for families of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities as one of the many ways it is important to ensure people with disabilities to have barrier-free access to what they need.
Links
Pediatric Oral Health Interfaces Background Paper: Children With Special Health Care Needs; Patient, Professional and Systems Issues
- Paul S. Casamassimo, DDS, MS
- National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research:
- Strategies for Providing Oral Care to People With Developmental Disabilities
- How Does Diabetes Affect The Mouth
- Heart Disease and Oral Health
- Cancer Treatment and Oral Health
- Cleft Lip and Palate
- Dental Care Every Day – A Caregiver’s Guide
- Practical Oral Care for People with Cerebral Palsy
- Practical Oral Care for People with Down Syndrome
- Practical Oral Care for People with Intellectual Disabilities
Oral Health Services for Children and Adolescents with Special Health Care Needs – A Resource Guide
Follow Us
