Summary
Routine oral care can be challenging for both caregivers and dental professionals. Moreover, from infancy to
adulthood, oral care needs change. This presentation, originally released during CDHA’s 2021 Virtual Conference,
will provide an overview of how to help individuals with disabilities learn to tolerate dental treatment and set
them up for a lifetime of good oral health.
Techniques such as music therapy, repetitive tasking, orofacial massage, errorless learning, and deep pressure
can be effective—the key is determining which may be most effective. Understanding challenges faced by clients
on a daily basis by actively listening and asking open-ended questions can alleviate some of the guesswork and
create more of a team approach to care.
Presenter
Heather Jackson, RDH, OMT
Heather Coulter Jackson is a registered dental hygienist. Graduating from Georgian College in 1991, she
has 20 years of experience at Pediatric Oral Health and Dentistry in London, Ontario. Heather has been
trained extensively in special care dentistry and is a member of both the Canadian Society for
Disability and Oral Health and the International Association for Disability and Oral Health. Her
continuing education interests include regulation therapy, music therapy, orofacial myofunctional
therapy, and Buteyko breathing.
Learning Outcomes
After the webinar, participants will be able to:
- Understand the complexity of treating clients with special needs
- Utilize a “tool bag” of different strategies to provide dental care
- Provide protective support to clients for safety and stability
- Recognize some of the limitations of the dental professional
- Employ a more pragmatic approach to oral care