The extraordinary vulnerability of people with disabilities: guidelines for oral health professionals

In the last 40 years, there has been a dramatic shift in living arrangements for people with disabilities from large state institutions to community-based care. This shift has required communities to increase their clinical capacity including oral health care systems. Oral health professionals must be cognizant that the rate of abuse and neglect experienced by people with developmental disabilities and other special needs is at least four times the rate experienced by the general population. These trends have resulted in additional responsibility on community oral health professionals to provide oral health services for many people who formerly lived in state institutions including recognizing and reporting suspected abuse and neglect. Oral health professionals must prepare themselves to successfully carry out these professional responsibilities.