According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children with developmental disabilities (DD) are more likely to have unmet dental needs than children without disabilities and are at greater risk of developing dental disease, reports the New York State Council on Developmental Disabilities (CDD). Reasons include “use of medicine high in sugar, dependence on a caregiver for regular oral hygiene, and certain physical or behavioral conditions that may impact oral health habits.”

So, in good news, a partnership between the CDD and Touro College of Dental Medicine (TCDM) to increase access to proper dental care for people with developmental disabilities (DD) has resulted in, well, a few things, but for our purposes, a helpful video on dental care.

The video has super helpful tips about how to get individuals who are leery about dental care or find it difficult to do things like brush their teeth to get the dental care they need.

The program, Smiles United, was created in 2020 through a CDD grant. Through the Smiles United initiative, participating group homes and caregivers were surveyed to find out general and specific oral health care challenges they face in taking care of individuals with developmental disabilities at home.

The Smiles United team will continue to make the educational video modules free and readily accessible on the YouTube platform for all individuals and agencies to utilize.