Role of Oral Physicians in Special Care Dentistry

Over 15% of the world’s population has some form of disability with 110-190 million people experiencing functional difficulties, which includes people with physical, sensory, intellectual, medical, mental or social impairments. WHO has emphasized the need for oral health care in these patients as they generally have greater levels of oral disease. Poor oral health can complicate the underlying systemic condition and cause deterioration of general health. Dental treatment of people who are medically compromised, disabled or older poses challenges as they might require multiple interventions and are less likely to receive adequate care compared to their apparently normal counterparts. The solution is to have a speciality designed specifically to treat these patients by training professionals in treatment of patients with special needs. Oral Medicine is the speciality concerned with dental and “medical” related disorders of the oro-facial region, including oral manifestations of systemic disease and management of medically complex patients. One of the competencies of an Oral Medicine graduate is the ability to effectively manage patients with medically complex conditions and special needs. Oral Medicine specialists may be considered the best choice for integration with the field of Special Care Dentistry as they have knowledge on medical diseases and their effect on oral health. This paper highlights the need for Special Care Dentistry in the Oral Medicine Curriculum and why Oral physicians are best suited for provision of dental care in this population.