An INTRODUCTION to

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

Reprinted May 2006

Developmental disabilities such as autism, cerebral 

palsy, Down syndrome, and mental retardation 

are present during childhood or adolescence and 

last a lifetime. They affect the mind, the body, and the 

skills people use in everyday life: thinking, talking, and 

self-care. People with disabilities often need extra help 

to achieve and maintain good health. Oral health is no 

exception.

Over the past three decades, a trend toward deinstitutionalization has brought people of all ages and levels of 

disability into the fabric of our communities. Today, 

approximately 80 percent of those with developmental 

disabilities live in community-based group residences or at 

home with their families. Together with their caregivers, 

they now look to practitioners in the community for 

dental services.

Providing oral care to patients with disabilities, however, is 

not without its challenges—or its rewards. Variations in 

mental capacity, behavior, and physical ability, for example, 

call for flexibility and creativity in the operatory. Some 

adaptation of the skills you use every day is also necessary 

to ensure safe and effective patient care. When the dental 

team is informed and prepared, most people with mild 

or moderate developmental disabilities can be treated 

successfully in the general practice setting. 

Practical Oral Care for People With Developmental 

Disabilities is a series of publications designed to equip 

dental professionals with the basic information they need 

to deliver quality oral health care to people with special 

needs. This includes instilling confidence not only in 

treatment strategies, but also in the dental team’s entire 

approach to the patient with developmental disabilities.

These concise publications provide background on 

developmental disabilities in general and address oral 

health problems common among affected persons. 

Strategies for care, covering such topics as mobility, 

neuromuscular and behavior problems, sensory 

impairment, and other treatment considerations, are 

discussed in the context of the general dental office. 

Practical Oral Care for People 

 With Developmental Disabilities

Individual booklets on oral health and autism, cerebral 

palsy, Down syndrome, and mental retardation offer 

practical guidance on adapting standard practices to 

accommodate people with disabilities. 

To support your efforts in the dental office, a guide 

for caregivers has also been developed that details the 

important role they play at home in maintaining good 

oral health for their family member or client with 

special needs. A publication for the dental team on safe 

wheelchair transfer completes the series, which aims at 

reducing a significant barrier to care by increasing provider 

knowledge of the oral health management of people with 

developmental disabilities.

Booklets in this series

•	 Continuing Education: Practical Oral Care for

People With Developmental Disabilities

•	 Practical Oral Care for People With Autism

•	 Practical Oral Care for People With Cerebral Palsy

•	 Practical Oral Care for People With Down Syndrome

•	 Practical Oral Care for People With Mental

Retardation

•	 Wheelchair Transfer: A Health Care Provider’s Guide

•	 Dental Care Every Day: A Caregiver’s Guide

To order, contact

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

National Oral Health Information Clearinghouse

1 NOHIC Way

Bethesda, MD 20892–3500

(301) 402–7364

www.nidcr.nih.gov