In this post-COVID world, statistics show that those reporting mental health challenges are rising. Dental care is essential to overall health and well-being, especially for those with mental health challenges. However, providing dental care to patients with mental health challenges can sometimes be daunting and requires specific strategies and approaches to ensure optimal care. In … Read more
Health practitioners, educators and student leaders from across America gathered at University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry for the “Dentistry as Participant and Casualty of Racism and Bias in Medicine: Moving Toward Equity in Oral Health Care” symposium hosted January 20 by the Pacific Center for Equity in Oral Health Care. … Read more
Wikipedia defines neurodiversity, neurodivergence, or neurovariance as “Variations in the human brain and cognition, for instance in sociability, learning, attention, mood and other mental functions.”1 The term was first coined in the 1990’s by sociologist Judy Singer and tended to be used when discussing autism spectrum disorder and attention hyperactivity disorder within the self-advocacy movement. … Read more
“I created my own suit, if you will,” said Simmi Patel, DDS, opening a duffel bag full of supplies. “It’s all to show that when we have patients with disabilities, we need to rethink our instructions with them.” Patel, a clinical assistant professor in the public health sciences department at the Texas A&M University College of Dentistry, … Read more
Going to the dentist can be an anxious experience for anyone, but even more daunting when there are communication barriers. Because of cultural and language barriers, people who are deaf or hard of hearing often lack access to efficient communication in the health care system. These disparities can lead to misdiagnoses, mistreatment, limited access to care, and poorer … Read more
It was in March of 2019 that my daughter was diagnosed with autism at a support level 3, just before her 3rd birthday. This means that she requires substantial support in order to get through her day. Since then, I have spent endless hours reading articles, books and anything that would allow me to better … Read more
Dental anxiety keeps millions of people from seeing the dentist as often as they should. Our sources indicate that sedation dentistry will soon offer a new way of relieving dental fear: medical marijuana. With an increased tolerance of medicinal marijuana, early reports suggest that British Columbia may add dental anxiety to the list of disorders that can … Read more
From – Dr. John Reitz – Readingeagle.com I received an email from a nonprofit organization, Abilities in Motion, concerning a newly published dental video series that assists patients with developmental disabilities. The video was produced with the help of the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council and is a great resource for families and dentists. Developmental disabilities … Read more