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iADH Develops an Undergraduate Curriculum in Special

Care Dentistry
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Cite this as: J Can Dent Assoc 2013;79:d64

May 13, 2013

TOPICS:
special needs/ education/ access to care/ organizations

The International Association for Disability and Oral Health (iADH) recently
developed an undergraduate curriculum document on special care dentistry, to
support educators worldwide in providing dental students with the knowledge,
skills and attitudes to effectively address the oral health needs of people
requiring special care.

The guidance document—developed in collaboration with experts from

32 countries—outlines the most important aspects of an undergraduate
Dr. Clive Friedman
curriculum in special care dentistry, divided into 6 domains of competency:

1. the scope of special care dentistry

2. access and barriers to oral health for people with disability and other marginalized groups

3. consent for people requiring special care

4. communication skills in special care dentistry

5. impact of impairments, disabilities and systemic conditions on oral health and oral function
 6. clinical management of patients requiring special care dentistry

The iADH Education Committee hopes that dental faculties will

include the guidance document within the confines of their current
curriculum, focusing on particular domains according to their
specific needs. “It is our belief that improving education will be the
first step toward improving access to care for special needs
patients,” explains Dr. Clive Friedman of London, Ontario, member
of the Education Committee, iADH past-president and past-
president of the iADH subgroup on special care dentistry for people
with disability. www.iadh.org

The next step for the committee is to develop case-based studies to

be used as examples for teaching the different aspects of the
curriculum. “The curriculum, as it is designed, does not require dental students to actually be able to
provide the care, but they will be skilful oral health managers in knowing where to access that care
and how to direct special needs patients to find the care they require,” notes Dr. Friedman.

The guidance document also reflects an important paradigm shift: the iADH bases its definition of
special care on the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability
and Health rather than the International Classification of Diseases, resulting in closer attention to the
social aspects of disease that may directly or indirectly affect oral health. “Depending on the service
structure within a particular country, those requiring special care treatments may therefore include
the underprivileged, the prison population or refugees, for example,” concludes Dr. Friedman.

To learn more about iADH activities and initiatives, visit http://www.iadh.org.

Listen to Dr. Friedman’s interview

Canadian Dental Assoc.

Teaching and assessing communication …

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 Canadian Dental Assoc.
How the curriculum can help teaching s… Share

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