Intro to Special Care Dentistry

Question 1

What is special care dentistry?

Answer 1

• The speciality of Special care dentistry is concerned with the improvement of the oral health of individuals and groups in society who have a physical, sensory, intellectual, mental, medical emotional or social impairment or disability or, more often, a combination of these factors. The speciality focuses on adolescents and adults only and includes the important period of transition as the adolescent moves into adulthood

Question 2

Give examples of groups that SCD treats? (7)

Answer 2

• Learning disability
• Physical disability
• Mental health problems
• Homeless, refugees and asylum seekers
• Medically compromised
• Older people
• Patients requiring behavioural management techniques

Question 3

What is the definition of impairment?

Answer 3

• Ant loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological or anatomical structure or function
• Impairment is considered to occur at the level of organ system failure
• It is the thing that you do not have

Question 4

What is the definition of disability?

Answer 4

• Any restriction or lack (resulting from an impairment) of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being
• Disability is concerned with functional performance or activity, affecting the whole person
• Disability is activity restricted by impairment

Question 5

What is the definition of handicap?

Answer 5

• A disadvantage for a given individual, resulting from an impairment or a disability, that limits or prevents the fulfilment of a role that is normal (depending on age, sex, and social and cultural factors) for that individual
• If yo had an organ and lost it e.g. car crash so cannot do something that you were used to doing before

Question 6

What is the WHO’s stance on disability? (4)

Answer 6

• Disabilities is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions
• Impairment is a problem in body function or structure
• Activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action
• Participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations

Question 7

What are common barriers to care? (4)

Answer 7

• Physical
• Attitudinal
• People centred
• Professional centred

Question 8

What are characteristics of service use can be difficult for people requiring SCD? (7)

Answer 8

• Fewer visits, longer intervals between
• Limited access to buildings
• Difficulty communicating pain
• Financial
• Emergency care rather than planned
• History of extractions
• Treatment with GA

Question 9

Just look at rest of lecture

Answer 9

:)