Autistic Children To Receive Dental Care Free Of Charge At Nova Southeastern University
Autistic children will receive dental care free of charge at Nova Southeastern University.
Dr Oscar Padilla, associate professor of clinical dentistry at Nova Southeastern University, said that it is important to ensure that children with autistic spectrum disorder are treated in a specialised environment, which caters for their additional needs.
The programme involves using an iPad to show children how a dental procedure works and familiarise them with the procedure and what it entails; children with autism are used to routine and they sometimes find it difficult to cope with change or new things, so showing them a visual representation of an operation can be very useful.
Dentists are also helping children to cope with dental procedures by allowing them to take breaks during a procedure to play games on the iPad. At the end of treatment, all the children are invited to visit the treasure chest and choose a toy.
Padilla said that it is good for the children to get into the routine of having dental treatment early on as they feel much more comfortable when they know what is going to happen to them.
So far, feedback from children and parents has been very positive.
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