Patients with Special Needs

Resources for Patients and Health Care Professionals

• Directory of Dentists for Patients with Special Needs
• Continuing Dental Education Course now available based on information contained in the Fact Sheets!

Through information provided at this site, we hope more of these individuals will have access to dental care and receive home-based dental prevention activities.

• 17% of children in Washington State have a special need; half of these children have mild-moderate special needs.
• Many individuals with special needs do not have access to regular and ongoing dental care.

Fact sheets have been developed for mild to moderate manifestations of a number of special needs conditions. For most conditions there are separate fact sheets for Dental Professionals, Medical Professionals, and Parents and Caregivers. A General Guidance fact sheet is included and is available in Spanish.

Content for the fact sheets was developed by a group of experts affiliated with the University of Washington and the Washington State Department of Health – Oral Health Program.

Information on the process used to develop these fact sheets can be found in the following PDF: Summary Development Process.

Additional Guidance

• Dental Guidance (PDF)
• Medical Guidance (PDF)
• General Guidance Parents and Caregivers (PDF)
• General Guidance Parents and Caregivers (Russian) (PDF)
• General Guidance Parents and Caregivers (Spanish) (PDF)
• Child Abuse Guidance for Dental Professionals (PDF)