New dental care project for people with learning disabilities

A new project aims to use art and creativity to transform dental care for people with learning disabilities and identify gaps in current care.

The Caring Beyond Words project, led by the University of Plymouth and funded through a Programme Development Grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), will bring researchers together with individuals with learning disabilities to understand how to improve dental care.

A series of pilots will then be launched to test how these interventions can work in the dental environment.

Professor Mona Nasser, Director of PIHR and the project lead, said: “Many people struggle when it comes to going to the dentist, but for people with intellectual disabilities, those challenges are only amplified by their condition.

“Until now, there has been very little research exploring how to support patients impacted by such conditions, and the dentists treating them. Our hope would be that, through this project, we can find solutions that improve the patient experience and be incorporated into current and future dental practice.”

Dental care and learning disabilities

Previous studies have shown that children with learning disabilities face higher rates of hospital admissions for tooth extractions. As they move into adulthood, there is a risk of their dental health deteriorating rapidly.

The new project builds on existing University research, uniting healthcare and the arts to overcome the challenges faced by people with various medical and mental health conditions.

Through the Anxious Tells (AngST) project, experts in dentistry and filmmaking are working to find ways of supporting patients who suffer from extreme anxiety when visiting the dentist.

Meanwhile, the ORIGIN initiative is enabling researchers to work with young people aged 16 to 24, co-designing an online arts and culture intervention aimed at reducing anxiety and depression.

Professor Rohit Shankar MBE, Professor of Neuropsychiatry at the University and Director of CIDER, added: “Dental concerns are a routine cause of diagnostic overshadowing in people with learning disabilities. Their presentation of distress is often thought to be related to mental health problems or seizures, leading to them being at risk of being put on psychotropic medication.

“Perversely, unaddressed dental concerns lead to significant change in physical and psychological wellbeing precipitating crises which should not happen. It also lends itself to difficulty in conducting suitable assessments. Our project explores ways in which we can maybe make inroads to dental assessment and treatment faster and more meaningfully.”

Through partnerships with Learning Disability England and the Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, the project will also directly involve people with learning disabilities, their families and carers, to fully understand the individual challenges they face in accessing dental care.

Alison Bloomer

Alison Bloomer is Editor of Learning Disability Today. She has over 25 years of experience writing for medical journals and trade publications. Subjects include healthcare, pharmaceuticals, disability, insurance, stock market and emerging technologies. She is also a mother to a gorgeous 13-year-old boy who has a learning disability.

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