CDA Essentials 2019 • Volume 6 • Issue 6

11 Issue 6 | 2019 | CDA at W ork P eople with disabilities often have greater levels of oral disease compared to the general population. They face many barriers to care, including a diminished capacity for oral self- care, affordability, and access to care. Improving access to dental care depends in part on dentists who feel that they have adequate experience or training to comfortably care for patients with disabilities. To better understand what can be done to support dentists when caring for persons with intellectual and cognitive disabilities, CDA’s National Coordinating Working Group on Access to Care (“the working group”) engaged an external research firm in 2018. Almost 1,500 dentists across Canada participated in focus groups, in-depth telephone interviews and an online survey, sharing their views on particular areas where they could use further training or support when caring for patients with intellectual and cognitive disabilities (see ‘Defining Patient Groups’ on p. 12) . Intellectual and Cognitive Disabilities Access to Care Dr. Heather Carr