Special Care Dentistry

Programs that specialize in providing oral health care for individuals with medical conditions or disabilities who may require more than routine dental care to achieve and maintain good oral health. People who require special care may have genetic or systemic disorders that affect their oral health; may be undergoing medical treatments that cause oral problems; or may have mental or physical disabilities that complicate oral hygiene or treatment. The dental team may need to transfer a patient with cerebral palsy from the wheelchair to the dental chair, use some sign language to communicate with deaf patients, adapt oral hygiene devices so a patient can use them, develop a treatment strategy for a patient who has received an organ transplant, determine the best anesthetic alternative for a patient who has heart disease, or develop an oral health plan for a patient who must undergo treatment for cancer. Special care dentistry encompasses preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services.