Improving systems of care for people with special needs: the ASTDD Best Practices Project

Improving the oral health of children and adults requires not only that patients receive high quality clinical care, but also that they gain access to the dental office in the first place. Access to care can be promoted among many systems of care, both within and outside of dentistry. The Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors has developed a Best Practices Project to share ideas and cultivate best practices for state and community oral health programs. A new topic is being developed that will describe successful practices to improve the oral health of persons with special needs. These individual practices are examples of broader approaches to improving the oral health of people with special needs. These approaches include: (1) improving the competency of the dental workforce; (2) improving the financing system; (3) better organizing community resources; (4) empowering parents and caregivers; and (5) promoting advocacy. To date, 16 practices have been identified, and 3 of them are described in this article. The purposes of this paper were to: (1) describe how the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors' Best Practice Project can improve systems of care for people with special oral health needs; and (2) highlight 3 successful practices.