Montefiore Medical Center
Background: There is limited access to care for people with special healthcare needs. When it comes to dentistry the need is greater, because of the high costs. Most dental insurances only cover basic or preventative treatments. However, this population usually requires more complicated treatment plans.
Aims: This pilot study aimed to investigate the barriers a small group of my patients faced while seeking dental treatment.
Methods: Surveys were conducted with the caregivers of these patients and with other dental providers.
Results: The barriers revealed in this study fell under the following themes; emotional, financial, access to care/facilities.
Conclusion: There is a lot that needs to be done to increase access to care for individuals with special healthcare needs. This pilot study suggests that there are more barriers that can potentially be uncovered in future studies. A much larger version of this study will be conducted in the future as well as a needs assessment study for a potential training and education curriculum targeted towards dental providers, in an effort to increase access care for this population.
