NYU Dentistry Receives $5M to Expand Oral Health Care for Children with Disabilities

Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) have awarded NYU College of Dentistry a $5.48 million grant to expand the NYU Dentistry Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities.

The funding through OPWDD’s Regional Disability Health Clinic Program will enable NYU to create a dedicated space for providing oral health services to children and adolescents with disabilities, enhancing the transition of care from childhood to adulthood.

“NYU College of Dentistry has a long history of and commitment to improving oral health for people with disabilities. This expansion underscores our commitment to providing care across the lifespan, ensuring that young people with disabilities can receive the services they need and, most critically, maintain a ‘dental home’ as they grow into adulthood,” said Charles Bertolami, DDS, DMedSc, the Herman Robert Fox Dean of NYU Dentistry.

“Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, we are tackling the difficulties people with developmental disabilities face in accessing comprehensive healthcare from a qualified professional in a setting that is appropriate to their needs. Initiatives like the expansion at NYU Dentistry’s Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities will open literal doors for people who, for far too long, have been shut out of the equitable and quality healthcare they deserve,” said OPWDD Commissioner Willow Baer.

“As New York’s Chief Disability Officer, I’ve seen firsthand multiple times just how special the Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities at NYU Dentistry really is,” said Kim Ridley, New York State Chief Disability Officer. “They’ve created something truly remarkable, a place where children and adults with disabilities can receive compassionate, high-quality dental care in an environment that actually understands their needs. This kind of dedicated ‘dental home’ is still far too rare, and it makes a real difference in people’s lives. I’m thrilled that Governor Hochul’s investment in Regional Disability Health Clinics will help expand this important work. It’s exactly the kind of progress we need to see more of across New York.”

“Too many people with disabilities lack access to basic healthcare needs such as dental care. NYU’s Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities addresses this need by creating an accessible treatment center and training practitioners on how to serve this population. I congratulate NYU on this investment of $5 million and thank Governor Hochul and the Office of People with Developmental Disabilities for recognizing the importance of expanding oral healthcare for people with disabilities,” said State Senator Kristen Gonzalez.

“I’m very proud to have fought for state funding for NYU Dentistry’s Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities—and am thrilled it has been awarded,” said New York State Assemblymember Keith Powers. “There’s a huge gap in access to dental care for people with disabilities, due to the lack of accessible offices and dentists trained to treat patients with physical or behavioral issues. This $5.48 million grant will expand the center to help ensure that people with disabilities can get the care they need without having to be referred to hospital operating rooms for simple procedures.”

Improving Access to Care

In New York City, more than 980,000 people are living with a disability, including more than 67,000 children. People with disabilities face many obstacles to receiving dental care, including a lack of accessible offices and finding a dentist trained to treat patients with physical or behavioral issues.

To address these gaps, in 2019, NYU Dentistry opened the Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities—an 8,000-square-foot treatment center dedicated to providing comprehensive care for patients whose disabilities prevent them from receiving care in a conventional dental setting. The center was designed in collaboration with people with disabilities and organizations that support them to meet the unique and diverse needs of this population.

The NYU Dentistry Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities is equipped with accessible spaces, lighting and sound features for those with sensory issues, and two on-site sedation suites, decreasing the need to refer patients to hospital operating rooms for procedures.  Last year, the interdisciplinary team at the center treated nearly 2,900 individuals, providing more than 25,000 dental procedures.

“The Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities has become the premier safety net provider for those with disabilities seeking quality dental care. Expanding access to pediatric services will enable us to improve our capacity and access to care for both children and adults,” said Rita Bilello, DDS, clinical director of the NYU Dentistry Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities.

“NYU College of Dentistry has created a sustainable model for caring for people with disabilities that can and should be replicated across the country,” said Peter DuBois, executive director of the California Dental Association, which advocated for that state’s Specialty Dental Clinic Program.

Meeting a Growing Need

According to OPWDD, children are the fastest growing age group of people with disabilities in New York. While kids have always been welcomed at the NYU Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities, the demand for pediatric services has outpaced their availability.

“Kids with disabilities often face greater oral health issues, but the earlier that they can see a dental provider, the greater the likelihood that they will have less significant dental disease as they age. Engaging children in care sets them on a path for better oral health across their lifespan,” said Amr Moursi, DDS, PhD, professor and chair of pediatric dentistry at NYU Dentistry

The OPWDD grant will fund the renovation of space on NYU Dentistry’s 9th floor—strategically located within the NYU Pediatric Dentistry Clinic—to create eight private treatment rooms for pediatric patients with disabilities. This expansion will nearly double the number of dedicated rooms for people with disabilities, from nine to 17, and will triple the estimated capacity for pediatric patients with disabilities.

The new treatment rooms are designed to be larger than those in a traditional dental office in order to accommodate caregivers and wheelchairs or other mobility equipment. The renovation will also include a disability-friendly waiting room, an immersive multisensory room to reduce patient anxiety, and a consultation room for services including social work, nursing, and nutrition, as well as virtual visits with new patients to desensitize them to the experience of going to the dentist before their first appointment.

Construction on the new space will begin this year and is estimated to be completed in 2027.

Better Transitions, Larger Workforce

A major challenge in the disability community is the transition of health care services as children age into adulthood. While some pediatric dentists see patients with disabilities, as children grow older, families often have difficulty finding a provider who treats adults with disabilities.

The expansion of space and services at NYU Dentistry will allow pediatric dental providers to work in concert with adult providers, creating an effective care model that ensures a successful transition between pediatric and adult care.

This expansion will also create additional training opportunities for NYU dental students and residents, as well as practicing dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants, in caring for patients with disabilities across the lifespan. Currently, all NYU dental students receive training in the Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities, and thousands of practicing providers have participated in continuing education programs at NYU Dentistry focused on caring for people with disabilities.

“Increasing our capacity to treat individuals with disabilities will continue our mission to train the next generation of dental providers to practice with competence and compassion in caring for this population,” said Bertolami.

About NYU College of Dentistry

Founded in 1865, NYU College of Dentistry is the largest dental school in the US, educating nearly 10 percent of the nation’s dentists. The mission of NYU Dentistry is to partner with students in achieving academic excellence, providing the best oral health care, and engaging in research, scholarship, creative endeavors, and service to improve the health of the highly diverse populations in New York City and around the world.

NYU Dentistry serves New Yorkers of all backgrounds, regardless of ability or disability, and with the 2019 opening of the NYU Dentistry Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities, has become one of the premier providers of quality oral health care for individuals with disabilities in New York State. Visit dental.nyu.edu to learn more.