Contributions of General and Specialty Dentists to Provision of Oral Health Services for People With Special Needs

Families with special needs have identified oral health as the most common unmet health care need. While pediatric dentists are trained to provide special services to people with special needs, the supply of pediatric dental specialists is limited and the metropolitan locations of many of these specialty dental practices may limit access to their services. This research project was a collaboration with the Health Policy Institute at the American Dental Association (ADA) to examine the contributions of general and specialty dentists, especially pediatric dentists, to oral health care for people with special needs. Researchers focused on variations in the provision of oral health services by specialty, training experiences, and geography.