Bellarine Community Health’s successful dental service for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is set to expand to include people living with intellectual disabilities.
The innovative Autism-friendly dental service trial in 2018-19 was the first such project of its kind in Victoria and was funded by the Department of Health and Human Services.
The new service design was supported by Melbourne-based ‘special needs dentists’ from both the Royal Children’s Hospital and Royal Dental Hospital.
During the project, it became evident that there were many other people living with intellectual disabilities who would benefit from a similar, individualised dental service.
Australian studies have found that almost 44 per cent of people with intellectual disabilities had difficulties accessing dental care.
“People with intellectual disability often have difficulty understanding and coping with experiences in medical and health settings,” trial co-ordinator and speech pathologist Nicki Goodwin said.
“By changing the sensory environment such as lighting and using calming resources, we can reduce anxiety and agitation for patients during their dental appointments.”
BCH will adapt the approach used for patients with ASD to support the individual needs of patients with mild and moderate intellectual disability. Dental staff will receive further training, and intake, communication and resources will all be adapted to cater for individuals with intellectual disabilities such as Down Syndrome, developmental delay, Williams Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome and Prader Willi Syndrome.
In particular, the resources developed will include the unique ‘My Story’, an easy-to-follow intake questionnaire about how to respond to the individual needs of patients, allowing patients or carers to choose the best resources to support coping during the dental appointments.
Community members with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities and their carers are invited to register their interest online at bch.org.au/projects/id-dental
Once patients have registered their interest online, BCH will make contact and appointments will be made available in early April. The dental trial is open to children and adults, with all participants required to fill in a patient feedback form.
