NYU Dentistry Awarded $2 Million to Train Dentists to Treat People with Disabilities

NYU College of Dentistry’s Department of Pediatric Dentistry has received a nearly $2 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to train dentists and other health professionals to provide oral healthcare to people with disabilities and complex medical conditions, according to a college news release. 

The Bridging the Gap program, led by Courtney H. Chinn, DDS, MPH, clinical associate professor and associate chair of pediatric dentistry at NYU Dentistry, will integrate this training into NYU’s existing Advanced Education Program in Pediatric Dentistry and will create new training programs and curricula to educate general dentists and dental hygienists on caring for patients with disabilities.

The Bridging the Gap program will train pediatric dental postgraduate students to care for people with disabilities, including developing and implementing a new curriculum and enhancing their clinical experiences through rotations at the NYU Dentistry Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities and NYU’s school-based dental care program in New York City schools.

The program will also provide training for other health professionals. NYU Dentistry will create a one-year program for dentists and dental hygienists caring for children, adolescents, and adults with disabilities. The program will also partner with NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing to pilot a teledentistry program in which nurse practitioner students doing clinical rotations in New York City schools and other community settings will connect people with disabilities to NYU Dentistry for virtual treatment planning and referrals.

Read the news released at nyu.edu