A girl undergoing treatment at the dentist's office

In response to Delaware dentists’ lack of experience treating people with disabilities, CDS has developed training sessions focusing on providing safe, effective and compassionate oral care. The first will take place in January 2018.

CDS discovered the need for such training early in 2017 after surveying both dental professionals and people with disabilities about their treatment experiences. The dentists’ responses indicated that less than half had formal training in treating patients with disabilities, very few regularly saw patients with disabilities, and they considered patient behavior and the severity of the patient’s disability as the greatest barriers to providing care.

To remedy this, CDS – in partnership with the Delaware State Dental Society and funded through the Delaware Bureau of Oral Health and Dental Services – designed four training sessions for dentists and dental hygienists. Led by health care professionals who specialize in treating patients with disabilities, they aim to increase participants’ disability awareness and sensitivity and impart strategies for communicating with and treating patients with disabilities.

These trainings count toward dental professionals’ continuing education requirement. To renew their license every two years, Delaware dentists must have taken 50 hours of lectures and training sessions on oral health topics; dental hygienists must have taken 24.