AEGD FEATURE
Denise Frances , DMD
As NYU Lutheran Dental
Medicine ’ s AEGD Associate Director in California , Dr . Denise Frances oversees the AEGD residency program at We Care Dental of Western University , located in Rancho Mirage , a city 10 miles south of Palm Springs . Dedicated to serving the dental needs of uninsusred and under-insured people with developmental disabilities , the facility has treated more than 3,500 patients since it was created in 2010 as a nonprofit subsidiary of Desert Friends of the Developmentally Disabled , a public benefit charity dedicated to improving the lives of all developmentally disabled children and adults in Coachella Valley and Riverside County .
“ Many of the patients seen by our AEGD residents have extensive health problems arising out of lack of dental care . Some suffer from periodontal disease , serious infections and require multiple root canals .”
Like Dr . Hood , Dr . Frances is troubled by the shortage of dental professionals in the U . S . prepared to treat special needs patients and proud that the AEGD training program at We Care Dental of Western University is “ creating a pipeline of qualified dentists to treat this vulnerable population ."
Dr . Frances recalled a survey she conducted a few years ago of 4 th year dental students at Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health ( ASDOH ). “ I did a survey to assess how prepared students felt they were about treating various types of special needs patients in a private practice setting . The survey showed students were most comfortable in treating hypertensive and diabetic patients and least comfortable in treating people with intellectual and / or physical disability . Now , consider that ASDOH probably provides more special needs training than most dental schools , and you can imagine how unprepared dentists graduating from other dental schools are to go out into the world and welcome patients with special needs . It ’ s no wonder so many people with developmental disabilities are unable to find providers skilled to treat them .” •••
10 NYU Lutheran Dental Medicine Postdoctoral Dental Residency Programs