In February 2020, leaders across health care, government, higher education and other sectors gathered at UCSF School of Dentistry to discuss the myriad challenges - and potential solutions - to meeting the oral health care needs of California's special needs population. The group agreed that in order to catalyze action in addressing the severe lack of oral health care access facing Californians with special needs, it would be necessary to define the problem and highlight current barriers. As a first deliverable, a group of participants led by Dr. Ray Stewart, DMD, MS, chair of the division of Pediatric Dentistry at UCSF School of Dentistry, has produced a white paper on the topic. Designed as a tool to educate readers on the scope and impact of the unmet oral health care needs, the authors hope the paper will increase awareness of special needs dentistry as a pressing health care issue in California.
View and Download the White Paper