Special Care Dentistry
Children with special needs often have poorer oral health, poorer health outcomes and poorer access to dental services than the rest of the population, causing profound suffering.
We are working to improve the provision of Special Care Dentistry for children worldwide. Children with special needs often have poorer oral health, poorer health outcomes and poorer access to dental services than the rest of the population.
Many dentists are unwilling to care for this group of patients because they have been inadequately prepared to manage them. In some countries there are no trained individuals at all. This causes profound suffering when children with special needs, particularly in rural areas, are unable to access treatment for severe pain.
We have extensive experience (since 2013) working to improve dental access for children with special needs. We have worked in Kenya with Community Oral Health Officers (COHOs) delivering dental treatment to children with special needs, in addition to training students in Zambia to provide outreach care to this group of children in rural areas. In Cambodia, we have also provided preventative care to children with special needs.
