Providing oral health care to individuals with severe disabilities residing in the community: alternative care delivery systems

For some individuals with disabilities who reside in the community, comprehensive oral health care is inaccessible. This deficiency has been noted by health care professionals and advocacy organizations. For example, most dentists who provide care to people with disabilities who reside in the institutional setting perceive that present resources within the community, both private and public, are generally unprepared to provide comprehensive dental care to the adult with severe disabilities; they also believe that special facilities and programs are needed that will be geographically and financially accessible to these individuals. Fortunately, several "special programs" have been established that successfully provide dental care to this population. This article describes these alternative care delivery systems and discusses their characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages. In addition, given the continuing process of community placement, implications for institutional dental programs are presented.