Collaborating to Expand Dental Services for Individuals with Special Health Care Needs

Full Description: Children and youth with special healthcare needs (CYSHCN) have historically had trouble finding dental providers who are comfortable treating them. In Texas, 20.3 percent of children with special healthcare needs had one or more oral health problem compared to 13.2 percent of children without special healthcare needs. Dentists are not always trained on how to care for these patients and may therefore feel reluctant or unqualified to provide care. Specialists like pediatric dentists receive training specific to this population, but not every community has a pediatric dentist. Also, CYSHCN grow up to be adults with special healthcare needs who age out of pediatric offices.
We are reshaping the future of dental care for CYSHCN in Texas. The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Oral Health Improvement Program (OHIP) and the DSHS Children with Special Health Care Needs Program (CSHCN) have partnered to address this challenge. With Title V funding provided by CSHCN, OHIP is contracting with the University of Texas Health San Antonio School of Dentistry (UTHSASD) to build a dental clinic on their campus specifically for individuals with special healthcare needs. All dental and dental hygiene students will receive didactic training for providing care to patients with special needs and will have clinical rotations in this clinic. Future plans for the clinic will include educational and training opportunities for providers who have already graduated, and for caregivers of CYSCHN. This exciting partnership will not only improve access to dental care for this population today but will also ensure future providers have the skills necessary to care for individuals with special healthcare needs.
This poster describes how this collaboration came to be and the anticipated outcomes from it. Attendees can adapt this information to meet the needs of their own communities.

Abbreviated Description: The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and the University of Texas Health San Antonio School of Dentistry (UTHSASD) are working together to build a dental clinic on the UTHSASD campus specifically for individuals with special healthcare needs. This clinic will provide necessary training to new providers and improve access to dental services for individuals with special health care needs. This poster describes a unique collaboration between the DSHS Oral Health Improvement Program and Children with Special Health Care Needs Program. Information and plans for the clinic and anticipated outcomes will be shared.