Planning oral and dental treatment in people with developmental disability

Comprehensive oral assessment in people with developmental disability must be undertaken by a skilled general dental practitioner or a specialist paediatric dentist or special needs dentist.

Reasonable adjustments may facilitate dental appointments and oral care for people with developmental disability. Consider physical access barriers (eg many dental surgeries do not have wheelchair access or a hoist to transfer people on to the dental chair). Strategies to help people with developmental disability overcome anxiety about oral and dental care are outlined here. Procedural sedation for people with developmental disability undergoing a dental procedure is discussed here.

The booklet Your Dental Health for people with disability and their carers, includes advice on oral and dental health, where to go for dental care, what to expect at an appointment and information needed by the dentist.

Dentistry is not usually covered under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) or Medicare in Australia except under specific schemes such as the Child Dental Benefits Schedule.

All children and adults with Health Care Cards or Pension Cards are eligible for free public dental care. Public dental clinics are often attached to local hospitals and community health centres. Specialist clinics are usually co-located with tertiary hospitals where treatment for medically complex patients and treatment under general anaesthesia can be undertaken. Public dental clinics in different states and territories are listed on this website.

The majority of dental practitioners, however, provide private care, magnifying the challenges in access for people with developmental disability. Most local private dental practitioners can be found via the Australian Dental Association Find-a-Dentist webpage; searches can be limited by speciality (eg special needs, public, paediatric).