Henry Hood , DMD
Eight words on the home page of
Lee Specialty Clinic ’ s website speak volumes to caregivers desperate to find quality dental and medical care for a loved one with special needs . It simply states : “ Your search is over . You ’ ve found a friend .”
At Lee Specialty Clinic , NYU Lutheran Dental Medicine AEGD residents are provided with a clinical immersion experience in interdisciplinary healthcare for Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled ( IDD ) patients . They work alongside developmental dentists , developmental physicians , neurologists , psychiatrists , behavior analysts and clinicians in multiple therapeutic areas including physical therapy , occupational therapy and speech and language pathology . “ By sharing our knowledge with young medical , dental and allied healthcare students , and by letting them personally experience the joy that comes from treating our special patients , the Lee Specialty Clinic is equipping the next generation of healthcare professionals to better care for patients with IDD ,” said Henry Hood , DMD , Chief Clinical Officer at Lee Specialty Clinic .
Dr . Hood is co-founder and Past President of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry , the nation ’ s first and only interdisciplinary professional organization of physicians and dentists with expertise in the care of patients with IDD . He has focused his entire career on clinical , teaching , research and advocacy work in the care of patients with IDD since graduating from the University of Louisville Dental School in 1993 .
Today , the Pediatric Dentistry ( PEDS ) specialty program offers the strongest emphasis on special needs dentistry . Commission on Dental Accreditation ( CODA ) requires that PEDS residents achieve competency in the examination , treatment and management of infants , children and adolescents with special health care needs . They must also be prepared to treat adults , because pediatric dentists often remain providers of oral health care for special needs patients into adulthood . As a result of this training , the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry reports that 99.5 % of pediatric dentists care for patients with special needs and nine in 10 practices have staff with training in treating patients with sensory impairments , developmental delays , or other special needs .
New standards to increase dental students ’ opportunities to receive didactic and clinical experience in the care of special needs patients were adopted by CODA in 2004 ; however , few would disagree with Dr . Hood that undergraduate and postdoctoral residency program curricula must be further enhanced to properly prepare dentists to go forth in the world and welcome special needs patients with open arms . “ We know that the healthcare access problem for people with IDD is , at its core , a healthcare
Intellectual disability — A disability characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning ( reasoning , learning , problem solving ) and in adaptive behavior , which covers a range of everyday social and practical skills . This disability originates before the age of 18 .
Developmental disabilities — An umbrella term that includes intellectual disability but also includes other disabilities that are apparent during childhood . Developmental disabilities are severe chronic disabilities that can be cognitive or physical or both . The disabilities appear before the age of 22 and are likely to be lifelong . Some developmental disabilities are largely physical issues , such as cerebral palsy or epilepsy .
Source : American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities ( AAIDD )
education problem . We will never achieve parity in healthcare access for our patient population without making certain that medical , dental and allied healthcare teaching programs include instruction in the care of patients with IDD ,” Dr . Hood said .
•••
Issue 7 , Journal 1 ; November 2016
9