Patients with special needs

Community outreach service developed at the “Training centre for human resources specialised in dental care for patients with special needs”

Implemented in 2000, CAOPE is the responsibility of the Pediatric Dentistry teaching staff.

Dental care activities are developed for patients with special needs at this centre (people with physical, mental and intellectual disabilities, genetic syndromes, microcephaly, and neurological disorders, among others). There is no age restriction (babies, children, adults and the elderly) and the activities are carried out in a multidisciplinary way.

These patients are in the main from precarious socioeconomic backgrounds and have often been through several other services without receiving the proper and adequate dental treatment they deserve. Not only does the centre provide a place for the treatment of oral health of the special needs patient, but it also offers psychological support for the families of these patients. This is a very important role the health professional performs.

The centre is different due the fact that it offers comprehensive dental treatment (educational and preventative procedures, Dentistry, Prosthodontics, Surgery, Endodontics, Periodontics, Acupuncture and Occlusion etc.) in an outpatient setting. Treatment is carried out under local anaesthesia so a general anaesthesia is not necessary so the use of mutilating treatments is avoided.

Consequently, these patients who are generally segregated can receive free orthodontic treatment tailored to their individual needs. As a result, their quality of life is greatly improved.

CAOPE offers training to Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Dental Surgeons so that they can act as multiplier centres, disseminating dental care to these patients throughout the country in both private clinics and public sector services. The service is provided on a weekly basis under the supervision of the Pediatric Dentistry Professors and performed by Undergraduate, Post graduate and Dental surgeons. Their aim is to improve the care of patients with special needs or those who are referred by the public service where they carry out their professional activities.

The centre serves patients who are referred by the Public Health System of the XIII Regional health division, which encompasses the city of Ribeirão Preto and 25 other municipalities in the region. In addition, many patients are referred to the centre by hospitals in Ribeirão Preto and the region or by spontaneous demand.

Theoretical activities developed at the centre include the participation of Pediatric Dentistry Professors as well as guest Professors from the Faculty of medicine at Ribeirão Preto-USP, and from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at   Ribeirão Preto-USP and FORP-USP, among other centres of excellence in the country.

The centre has the participation of PGP teaching staff in Pediatric Dentistry at FORP/USP, Undergraduate , Postgraduate , specialisation/improvement, students, 2 dental surgeons hired from the Children’s health department and 1 technical-level assistant.

Relevance of the developed activities:

According to data from the World health organisation

15% of the world population is made up of patients with special needs. In Brazil, data from the last IBGE census (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, 2010) revealed that around 25% of the Brazilian population has some type of disability, which is the equivalent to 45 million people. These individuals are at increased risk to oral diseases such as tooth decay and periodontal disease. The Dentistry for patients with special needs specialty is among those that presents the lowest number of specialists – just 0.6% of all specialists which represents 735 dental surgeons (Federal Council of Dentistry. Registration system: General number of specialist Dental Surgeon (Routine SISGER23). Available at http://cfo.org.br/website/estatisticas/quantidade-geral-de-cirurgioes-dentistas-especialistas. Access on 31/03/2020).

Considering the high demand for dental care for people with special needs, there is a need to train human resources to work in the area. The role of CAOPE is to provide free care to patients in the Ribeirão Preto region and other states, enabling the training of specialised professional and knowledge generation through scientific research. The centre works in partnership with the municipality of Ribeirão Preto and with the Genetics discipline at the Faculty of Medicine at Ribeirão Preto.In 2009, in partnership with the centre for Radio-Oncological treatment (CTR), studies started in the evaluation of “the effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy on dental substrates and the influence on restorative and endodontic procedures”, under the coordination of Prof Alexandra Mussolino de Queiroz (Permanent Professor on the program). The projects developed have a great social impact and clinical applicability as they generate knowledge regarding changes in enamel, dentin, cement and the pulp of deciduous and permanent teeth. As a result, more effective treatment techniques in patients undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy are proposed.

 

The Improvement in Dental Treatment of Patients with Special Needs course is free and offered every six months! Want more information? Call 16-33153995