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Experts look at dentistry blindspot

"In past decades doctors have offered dental treatment to people with special needs, but without an organized structure or system."

Huang Shun-te, director of the department of dentistry at Kaohsiung Medical University

Starting in early childhood, we have all been told to brush our teeth and floss daily and that oral health is important.

Although the majority of people may cringe at the sound of a dental drill and take access to dental care for granted, "such a privilege is a basic human right that is often denied to persons with disabilities," said Chan Hsun-cheng (詹勳政), president of the Taiwan Dental Association.

Following on the heels of International Human Rights Day on Monday, the International Conference of Oral Care for People with Disabilities in Taipei yesterday provided an alternative perspective on the healthcare system offered to disadvantaged groups.

"In past decades doctors have offered dental treatment to people with special needs, but without an organized structure or system," said Huang Shun-te (黃純德), chairman of the conference organization committee and director of the department of dentistry at Kaohsiung Medical University.

The shortage of trained dentists for special care provision severely hinders the right of disabled people to accessible and dignified oral treatment, he said.

Drawing from a recent study in Taiwan, Huang said that "people with disabilities have various oral health problems."

"The more severe the disability, the worse the oral health," he said.

In light of this, field professionals from 16 countries including Japan, the US, Singapore, Canada and Belgium were invited by the association for the three-day seminar.

The participants at the conference, whose theme was "Equal right, equal opportunity and equal dignity," discussed methods to provide better care to a number of different groups with limited abilities.

"Oral care for people with special needs may pertain to more people than one may think," said Luc Martens, president of the International Association of Disability and Oral Health. For example, "with the expanding aging population globally, the field may include you and me" in future.

Children provide another example, said Ichijiro Morisaki, president of the Japanese Society of Disabilities and Oral Health.

"A growing percentage of children [6.3 percent] in Japan today require special care, as they are afflicted with learning disabilities, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and high functioning autism," he said.

"I believe it is not an individual phenomenon, but a global trend in developed countries," Morisaki said.

While 83 percent of dentists say they are willing to treat disabled patients, many have the misconception that this means people with non-dentistry related afflictions such as heart problems or liver disease, said Clive Schneider-Friedman, a professor of dentistry at the University of Western Ontario in Canada.

A number of solutions were discussed yesterday, including the need for patients to gain recognition.

Marten said the renaming of the International Association of Dentistry for the Handicapped (IADH) in 2000 was an essential element in fostering such recognition.

The term "handicapped," deemed pejorative by many, was replaced with "disability" to reflect UN and WHO terminology in describing anyone with functional limitations for physical, sensory, or mental causes, Marten said.

Since the name change, the association has expanded the scope of its patients to include persons with mental retardation, the elderly, children, persons with autistic spectrum disorder, asthma, cerebral palsy, developmental delays and hearing or visual impairment, he said.

Another part of the solution was government policies, the specialists said.

Oral education for caretakers who see to the needs of patients who are incapable of tending to their own oral hygiene is also important, Schneider-Friedman said. Caretakers must "reset their priorities and realize the importance of dental health."

"Ultimately, dental care in this sense should be handled with increased sensitivity and understanding," said professor emeritus Susuma Uehara of Nihon University in Japan. "In other words, the good old `TLC' -- tender loving care."
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