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          Oral health Oral health
 Oral health care—which includes care for your teeth, gums, throat, and the bones around the mouth—is critical to overall health. People with disabilities are less likely than people without disabilities to visit a dentist. When people with disabilities do seek oral health care, they often encounter inaccessible facilities or have trouble finding a dentist who has training and feels comfortable providing the care they need. Sensory disabilities can make it even more difficult to receive dental care.
A variety of programs and initiatives are working to address these barriers, including many led by ACL-funded University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. For example, the UCEDD at the University of Southern California is looking at how sensory-adapted dental environments can help increase access to oral care for autistic children.
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities may also need additional support to develop healthy oral health habits. A growing number of trainings and resources seek to support people with I/DD in maintaining oral health in-between visits to the dentist. For example, the Institute for Health and Disability Policy Studies at the University of Kansas works with dental hygienists to offer the “Feeling Good About Your Smile” 90-minute training for people with I/DD, and the NIH’s National Institute of Oral and Craniofacial Research offers practical tip sheets for people with intellectual disabilities, people with autism, and their caregivers.
These efforts to address all aspects of people with disabilities’ health—including oral health—represent a continuation of the Americans with Disabilities Act’s vision of equal access to health care for people with disabilities.

                    *Last modified on 07/24/2020*
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