Unit Zero: Oral Health Symposium on Caring for People with Disabilities

STEVE PERLMAN, D.D.S.

DENTISTRY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: IF NOT YOU, THEN WHO?

Oral health and the ability to access and receive care are the most unmet healthcare needs that children and adults with disabilities face throughout their lifespan. The course will provide the dental professional with a thorough understanding of why this problem not only exists but also, with the increasing numbers of people with disabilities and limited providers, that the problem has only been exacerbated. People with disabilities have many co-morbidities and secondary conditions which also affect their ability to obtain care. Much of this course will be devoted to behavior guidance, including advanced techniques. Providing care for this population is every-one’s responsibility. If not you, who?

Learn:

• to provide the dental team with the knowledge, techniques and confidence to feel comfortable in treating children and adults with disabilities
• to understand the co-morbidities, secondary conditions and barriers to care that create the challenges for people with disabilities to receive dental care
• to understand advanced behavioral guidance skills as the safest alternative to sedation and general anesthesia

RITA BILELLO, D.D.S.

UNIT ZERO: UNDERSTANDING THE DISABLED PATIENT
As part of the Unit Zero series, this lecture introduces the dental needs of disabled patients and offers skills and tips to help the dental team treat those disabled individuals in their office. Until recently, special needs care was not consistently taught in dental schools and we want to ensure estab-lished providers get the tips they need to treat those with disabilities. Our goal is to encourage you to open your practice to those with disabilities and to enable you to have the tools to succeed.

Learn:

• how to introduce the dental team to the disabled patient and their dental needs
• tips and tricks to allow the dental team to be successful in providing care to those with disabilities
• to help clinical teams gain the confidence they need to incorporate individuals with disabilities into their practices

BARBIE VARTANIAN, B.S.

UNIT ZERO: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A DISABLED PATIENT’S FAMILY 

Understanding the challenges that families face in caring for an individual with a disability is critical to successfully deliver all types of healthcare. This course will allow you to gain insight and perspective from a parent advocate living with the ongoing barriers and inequities her child faces each day. Your eyes will be opened, your awareness will be broadened, and your perspec-tive on how you provide care to this marginalized population will be forever changed.

Learn:

• the daily challenges caregivers and families face in caring for an individual with disabilities
• to break down bias, stigma, and diagnostic overshadowing
• how changing your mindset will allow you to provide the ultimate care to your patients

ALLEN WONG, D.D.S., ED.D.

SPECIAL CARE DENTISTRY CONSIDERATIONS
With the growing population and aging of those with special healthcare needs, what can dental offices do to improve access to care? This portion of the program reviews dental caries risk factors with those of special health-care needs and strategies to improve their oral health. 

Learn:

• some minimally invasive and maximally effective ways to improve oral health for patients with special healthcare needs
• caries risk assessment protocols and how to use that information
• how to create a team approach to take care of the patient with disabilities
• the ethics of caring for those with a disability

Support for this program is provided by