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The most impactful part of “Evidence-Based Techniques for Oral Health Behavior and Oral Health Promotion for People with Developmental Disabilities” for me was listening to Sara’s part of the presentation. It was my first time hearing the experiences of a special needs patient in accessing dental care. Not only can regular dental appointments be difficult to tolerate for this patient population (due to discomfort, gag reflex, lack of provider knowledge and skills with behavioral management), many special needs patients are underserved because they lack insurance coverage and because the cost of dental care is inflated for them. It became apparent to me how inadequate the training dentists receive with treating diverse populations is- hopefully with these types of programs in place, we can work towards alleviating this inequity.
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In this session, I learned about the significance of behavior change in promoting oral health. I understand that simply providing information about oral health is not enough and it is crucial to use evidence-based techniques to facilitate behavior change in clinical and community settings. This includes understanding the principles of motivational communication, such as utilizing patient-centered approaches and setting realistic goals to enhance patient engagement and compliance with oral health recommendations. I learned more about oral health literacy and its impact on promoting oral health outcomes, as well as strategies to improve oral health literacy among patients. Furthermore, I learned more about effective desensitization techniques for individuals with developmental disabilities in clinical settings and the importance of creating a safe and comfortable environment for patients with developmental disabilities. Overall, this session has equipped me with evidence-based techniques and strategies to promote oral health, improve oral health literacy, communicate effectively with patients, and provide appropriate care for individuals with developmental disabilities in clinical and community settings.
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I learned that customized care is very important when caring for families with children with special health care needs. Dr. Shah mentions how there are different factors to take into account when working with different families and that the goal for these families is to make “progress, not perfection”. It is very important to keep in mind that certain methods that worked for one family, may not be the same for another. We can also provide dental visit and oral health educational tools to help guide families and their children in learning new ways on improving their oral health practices.
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From this session, I learned how important it is to use motivational interviewing and tools such as OARS to help empower patients and motivate them to take charge in maintaining or improving daily oral hygiene habits. I appreciated being able to hear from the self-advocate about her experiences and how she had difficulties in accessing dental care. From Dr. Shah’s presentation, it was really interesting to learn about the various educational tools that can be used to effectively convey information on oral health in a way that is more easily accessible to all. Overall, this session helped me realize the need for more education among dental students to learn how to be better providers for patients with special healthcare needs.
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In the June session “Evidence-Based Techniques for Oral Health Behavior and Oral Health Promotion for People with Developmental Disabilities,” I learned a lot of useful techniques and best practices for making the experience of patients with special health care needs as great as possible during dental visits. Learning about these tools, such as motivational interviewing, helped me feel more confident in my ability to care for patients with special needs as a future dentist.
In the “Diagnosis, Preventive, and Restorative Treatment in the Traditional Dental Clinic for patients with Special Health Care Needs” session, I learned how even small changes and accommodations can help make patients with special health care needs more comfortable during dental visits. These concrete suggestions, such as providing sunglasses and noise cancelling headphones or support pillows or cradling their head, are simple and effective ways to help make visits better.
In the “Geriatric Dentistry for People with Developmental Disabilities” session, I learned how crucial it is to coordinate interprofessionally, especially for geriatric patients. For example, working with the patient’s primary care physician when the patient has systemic underlying conditions is imperative.
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