Special care in dentistry in France: Issues, current situation, outlook

The question of oral health care and access to it for persons with disabilities is a key public health issue. This contribution describes the general landscape of access to oral health care for persons with disabilities since Law no.2005-102 of February 11, 2005, taking a broad approach that spans initial training and continuing education in the sector, the Romain Jacob charter, and the implementation of several networks. It also provides an analysis of the use of financial measures to incentivize the recognition of overtime spent providing care for persons with disabilities. The results of this study show that: considerable progress has been made in training; the missions of disability specialists must be redefined at the departmental level to enable these professionals to play their role; the enhanced financial recompense offered for this care is a step in the right direction but is insufficient to improve access to care for persons with disabilities; and, although care networks have proliferated, their future is uncertain given the precariousness of their funding. They remain, however, a system for providing care operating in parallel to mainstream care. While definite progress has been made over the past ten years, the Handifaction barometer shows that there is still much room for improvement as regards persons with disabilities’ satisfaction with access to oral health care in France.