In 2017, Dr. Dan Burch was introduced to the dental desert that plagues special care patients—those with an intellectual or physical disability that makes regular oral care difficult. As an associate professor at the Texas A&M University School of Dentistry’s Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Burch met a patient with cerebral palsy who could only receive treatment in her wheelchair, and the patient’s mother pleaded with him for treatment because he was the only in-network dentist she could find. Moved by this experience, Burch proposed a program to train dental students to not only assess but also treat special care patients. In 2020, his dream came to fruition.
The Compromised Care & Hospital Dentistry Fellowship Program has grown exponentially in three years and is now a valued safety net for families in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area and beyond Texas. Its mission: tearing down the oral health care barriers facing special care patients, one dentist at a time. “We’re teaching dentists the skills they need to treat special care patients,” Burch said. “Our facilities can accommodate their needs through sedation rooms and wheelchair lifts, our fees are more palatable and our wait times are weeks instead of months. Patients just have to show up, and our team does the rest.”
As a uniquely designed special care program, the fellowship equips dentists to serve their communities, many of which lack access to care. “When our fellows graduate and practice, we know they will treat special care patients comfortably and know the steps to ensure each patient stays safe and healthy,” Burch said.
