Toronto Star: Bridging a gap in dental care
Excerpt from the Article:
Judy Teper leans back in the dentist’s chair, squinting against the bright light shining in her face. A nurse asks the 39-year-old to open her mouth. But Judy, whose fists are clenched in her lap, locks her jaw in a grimace.
“Now, Judy,” says her father, Wilfred Teper, as he steps into the treatment room, “you are lying on a beach and that’s the sun in your face and you are very relaxed.”
“And here,” he adds, as the nurse turns on the tooth polisher, “comes the tickling machine.”
Judy giggles, and opens her mouth. Soon, her teeth are getting a good cleaning.
Like almost every other patient in this busy dental clinic at Mount Sinai Hospital, Judy has a developmental delay. In her case, it is microcephalicy, a neurodevelopmental disorder in which the circumference of the head is smaller than normal because the brain has not developed properly. Other patients may have Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy or an acquired brain injury…
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Did You Know?
-
To ensure proper oral hygiene,
try brushing your teeth
how they grow:
FROM the gum line,
and onto the teeth. -
The gum line is the area most missed when brushing;
coincidently it is
of importance for
one’s oral health. -
The most important
time to brush your
teeth is before
you go to bed. -
You can boil a rubber door stop and try using it as a mouth prop to assist in brushing the
teeth of individuals
who may not be
willing to open
their mouths. -
Use a pea size amount of fluoridated toothpaste when brushing, it is okay
if this small amount
is swallowed. -
When brushing the teeth of a person with special needs, if possible, have the
individual sit so
you can stand
behind them. -
The oral cavity plays a prominent role in an individual’s quality of life as it pertains to communication, nutrition, emotional expression, taste, social appearance and self-esteem
-
Increasing numbers of people with mental retardation no longer live in institutions, and
are dependent on
dentists in
private practice
for care. -
Current research shows that persons with disabilities have greater levels of
periodontal
disease. -
Current research shows that persons with disabilities present with a poorer state
of oral hygiene. -
In Ontario, with over 12 million residents; approximately
1.85 million people
have a disability. -
In Canada in 2006, 14.3% of the population had a disability representing
4.4 million people.
