CDA Essentials 2019 • Volume 6 • Issue 6

13 Issue 6 | 2019 | CDA at W ork When it comes to my own practice, many people with an intellectual or cognitive disability are part of my patient family and can easily be seen within a typical day. Although there are physical space requirements to safely accommodate persons in wheelchairs, it is also important to consider individual patient needs, such as scheduling appointments during quiet times and with minimal waiting for patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The entire dental team should be aware of a patient’s individual needs in advance of an appointment. The resources being developed by CDA are a step in the right direction to help dentists and their staff become more comfortable in managing and caring for patients with special oral health needs. ➲ The working group produced a hospital guide that includes a list of basic dental equipment needed to provide dental care for patients in hospital settings. What led to the development of this guide? HC: For some individuals with intellectual and cognitive disabilities, dental treatment in a hospital operating room is the most viable, or only, option. As part of its mandate, CDA works closely with provincial dental associations (PDAs) across Canada on many issues that impact and influence dentistry every day. Some PDAs indicated the need to develop a basic resource of necessary dental equipment for patients under general anesthesia. CDA consulted dentists who have established experience in providing oral health care in hospital settings, so this practical guide meets the current needs and practise in hospital dentistry. This guide is one of many examples of how CDA works to enhance access to dental care for Canada’s vulnerable populations. ➲ What are the next steps for the working group in developing resources for dentists? HC: We are in the process of developing resources that would address the knowledge and training gaps that dentists have identified. CDA will create a “Dental Care for Patients with Special Needs” page on its website, which will provide links to existing, high-quality patient information resources on Autism Spectrum Disorder, Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. CDA will also develop basic best practice resource documents for dentists and the dental team to use when preparing to welcome and care for these two patient groups. To complement these resources, materials with basic care instructions aimed at helping the patient’s family/friend/caregiver will also be developed. And for patients living with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia, CDA will develop a best practice assessment tool to help dentists determine when to treat, when not to treat, or when to refer these patient groups to other specialty areas. a BasicDental Equipment List: AGuide for Hospital Administrators The CDA National CoordinatingWorking GrouponAccess toCare, composed of dentists currently providing dental care in hospitals, developed a short guide to help informdiscussions between dentists and hospital administrators whowish to consider integrating dentistry for patients under general anesthesia as a newhospital service. Canadian hospital dentistry programs may also reference this guide to review current basic dental equipment and instruments. The guide includes a basic equipment checklist, illustratedwith photographs, and it outlines requirements and logistics for instrument reprocessing and sterilization based on six patients seen one day per week. To download a PDF version of the guide, visit cda-adc.ca/hospitalguide The resources being developed by CDA are a step in the right direction to help dentists and their staff become more comfortable in managing and caring for patients with special oral health needs. ➜