CDA Essentials 2016 • Volume 3 • Issue 8

7 Volume 3 Issue 7 | CDA at W ork RandallCroutze, bsc, dds president@cda-adc.ca I always look forward to seeing one of my patients, a frail senior who is visually impaired, every year on January 16. That day is my birthday and his too, and for the past 30 years he’s taken the bus to my clinic on this day to say hello and wish me happy birthday, even if he doesn’t have an appointment. Like my birthday buddy, some of my patients have a physical or developmental disability, or both. In my experience, treating patients who have a disability does not define them as a patient, nor represent a challenge to me or the members of my team. Through exposure to all kinds of people, including those with disabilities, my team has learned the value of tailoring our approach to meet the individual needs of each patient. For example, we’ve found that patients with an intellectual disability seem to respond to our efforts to help them feel comfortable by recalling a pleasant memory they’ve shared with us during a previous appointment. If there is an issue with communication, we sometimes take a little extra time to ensure that the patient understands the treatment to the best of their ability—but we try to do that for all patients, whether or not they have a disability. But for a variety of reasons, some general practitioners believe they are not capable of special care dentistry, which is dentistry adjusted to meet the needs of people with disabilities. According to a recent report titled Meeting the Needs for Special Care Dentistry , produced collaboratively by CDA and the Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry, some dentists say they feel unprepared to treat a patient with a disability. One study 1 cited in this report showed that dentists who were most likely to refer children with disabilities to other dentists lacked confidence in managing these patients; other reasons for referring out were insufficient staff training, inadequate facilities and time shortages. All newly qualified Canadian dentists should be competent in managing “patients of all ages, including those with special needs,” according to a National Dental Examining Board of Canada competencies document. 2 Yet, people with disabilities sometimes struggle to find a dentist who will treat them; just one factor contributing to higher levels of oral disease in this patient group compared to that of the general public. The issue of access to care for people with disabilities is complex. They often face numerous barriers, including affordability, physical access to dental offices, high levels of fear and anxiety related to dental procedures, and, often, the need for an interdisciplinary approach to their dental care. But providing dental care for people with disabilities does not always have to be complex and can be safely provided by a dental team with relevant skills and competencies. This issue of CDA Essentials includes stories from dentists and dental team members who are hoping to change attitudes about special care dentistry by sharing strategies that have worked in their dental practices. It’s our professional duty to provide care to all members of society. We can do better for our patients who might need an individualized approach, starting with support, encouragement and training for dentists so they can feel more confident in their capacity to provide care for people with disabilities. References 1.SunS.,BushH.M.,HarrisonR.,PoonB.,Mathu-MujuK.R.Professional uncertainty inprovidingdentalcare forspecialneedschildren.Graduatestudent abstractpresentedattheCanadianAcademyofPediatricDentistry2015 Meeting.2015. 2.Competencies forabeginningdentalpractitioner inCanada[Internet].Ottawa: TheNationalDentalExaminingBoardofCanada;2005[cited2016Sept21]. Availableat: https://www.ndeb-bned.ca/en/resources/competencies From the President Closing the Gaps in Special CareDentistry