Trends in special care training in pediatric dental residencies

Pediatric dentist are often regarded by the dental community as the specialty group best prepared to treat patients with developmental disabilities. This may be because it is the only specialty that receives formal training in behavior management techniques. A questionnaire was mailed to the directors of all 55 ADA-accredited pediatric dental residency programs in the U.S. The purpose of the survey was two-fold: the first aim was to quantify the training that pediatric dental residents receive in providing care to persons with developmental disabilities. A second area of investigation addressed the issue of pediatric dentist continuing yo treat persons with developmental disabilities into adulthood. The survey determined that pediatric dental residency programs provide considerable training in "Special Care" dentistry. While adults with developmental disabilities continue to be treated in 48 percent of responding programs, 55 percent of the program directors stated outright that it should not be the role of pediatric dentist to provide treatment to this population.