This course focuses on practical steps you can take within your dental office to make care more accessible and successful for adult patients who have special healthcare needs. We will explore structural and workflow adaptations, as well as specific equipment and instruments that can make treatment more efficient and comfortable for both provider and patient.

In addition, we will briefly discuss home oral hygiene programs and share resources to help you initiate similar programs in your community.

This course is uniquely designed for online learning and draws from several of my in-person trainings, including The Wonderful World of Special Care, Assisted Oral Hygiene, and Special Care Show and Tell. Participants will also be introduced to my adaptation of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs—the “Dental Hierarchy of Needs”—and how addressing these foundational needs can help patients who have historically required sedation or general anesthesia to be successfully treated in a traditional dental office setting.

Learning Objectives: 

• The learner will see how Maslow's Hierarchy of needs relates to behaviors in the dental office
• The learner will be exposed to various methods of positioning patients and yourself to decrease aspiration risk and increase patient comfort when traditional positioning is not possible. 
• The learner will understand how to create a welcoming environment
• The learner will understand how a pre-office work up can improve outcomes. 

ISDS is an approved continuing education (CE) sponsor in the State of Illinois. Courses offered by ISDS, including this one, are approved for CE credit under the Illinois Dental Practice Act for license renewals, including both dentists and dental hygienists.