One in four U.S. adults have some type of disability, affecting mobility, cognition, hearing, and/or sight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, those with disabilities are more likely to be obese, smoke, and have heart disease and diabetes, further complicating their healthcare.
To help address the oral health needs of this vulnerable population with more clinicians skilled in treating them, Penn Dental Medicine has developed the Persons with Disabilities Presentation Series -- a free online continuing education program aimed at building competency among practicing clinicians in providing oral healthcare to persons with disabilities.
"We see this Series as an important way to not only build awareness of the barriers to equitable oral healthcare for individuals with disabilities, but also expand the number of dentists treating these individuals," says Dr. Miriam Robbins, Director of Penn Dental Medicine's Care Center for Persons with Disabilities, who helps to develop topics and identify speakers for the Series.
The Series launched last year with support from the Delta Dental Foundation of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and North Carolina (DDF), which recently renewed its support of the Series with a second $50,000 grant this year.
Since its launch, the lecture topics have ranged from defining disabilities across a lifetime and caring for older adults with cognitive impairments to how the payer system can be strengthened to improve care for persons with disabilities.
Developed and offered through Penn Dental Medicine's Office of Continuing Education, the series is open to oral health professionals at no charge.
Dentists completing 18 or more of the courses within a three-year period will receive a certificate of completion from Penn Dental Medicine as a Disabilities Dentistry Clinician Expert. View the full schedule of upcoming live webinars as well as available online lectures at www.dental.upenn.edu/disabilitiescare.
Penn Dental Medicine offers a depth of live online and hybrid learning opportunities across dental disciplines and health policy as well as a library of self-paced courses that can be accessed at any time through its Penn Dental Medicine Education Portal.
