Participants should be aware of the following financial/non-financial relationships: . Jennifer D. Chung, Ph.D.: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.. Marilyn Taylor: Disclosure information not submitted.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE The goal of this study is to report the characteristics of children with special healthcare needs (SHCN) receiving care for the first time at a special needs clinic. In addition, we wish to examine potential associations between patient characteristics and prior dental experience with a different provider.
METHODS Caregivers of patients attending a special needs clinic complete a pretreatment form collecting demographics (i.e. age, gender, ethnicity), health information (i.e. services received, co-morbidities, dental needs), behavior (i.e. ability to communicate, level of cooperation), and previous dental experience. Descriptive statistics were calculated (N=309), and bivariate regression analysis was used to examine the association between patient demographic, health, and behavior characteristics on the primary outcome variable: previous experience with a different dental provider.
RESULTS Most patients were male (80%), and 39% reported visiting another dentist. Patients most frequently received speech therapy (54.7%), followed by occupational therapy (47%); 32% of had speech delay, and 20% endorsed developmental delay. Most patients were coming in for a routine exam (80%) or a cleaning (52%). Patients needing a cleaning had significantly higher odds of a prior dental visit (OR 1.74; [95% CI 1.09, 2.78]; p=0.02). Parents reporting the use of a neurologist as a source of information for SHCN also had significantly higher odds of a previous dental visit with a different provider (OR 2.21; [95% CI 1.04, 4.67]; p=0.04).
CONCLUSION Our findings can assist pediatric practitioners as well as specialized pediatric dentists in understanding the treatment needs of this underserved population.
Source of Funding: “This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number D88HP20126 and titled, “Postdoctoral Training in General, Pediatric, and Public Health Dentistry and Dental Hygiene” for $290,694. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.”
