Patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face significant barriers to dental care—from finding providers with appropriate training to transportation, cost, communication challenges, and previous negative experiences in health-care settings.

In this episode of Dentistry Unmasked, Drs. Pam Maragliano and Brian Nový talk with Dr. Dimitri Christakis, Chief Health Officer for Special Olympics International, about what dentistry can do differently.

Christakis shares what Special Olympics has learned through its Special Smiles program, which provides oral health screenings and referrals for athletes with IDD. Among Special Olympics athletes, 13% report significant mouth pain, 46% show signs of gum disease, and 44% have untreated tooth decay.

The conversation explores why access remains difficult, including limited provider training and reimbursement models that don't account for the additional time some patients may need. They also discuss relatively simple ways practices can become more welcoming—from asking patients about their anxieties and individual needs to reducing unnecessary sensory stimulation and creating quieter, less intimidating environments.

Plus, Brian reflects on his own experience volunteering with Special Smiles and challenges dentists, dental teams, and pre-dental students to consider getting involved. Special Olympics provides training for volunteers, so clinicians don't need to arrive already experienced in caring for patients with IDD.

In this episode:

• Why patients with IDD continue to face major oral health disparities
• The provider and patient barriers that can make dental care difficult to access
• What Special Olympics' Special Smiles screenings accomplish
• How preventive care and earlier referrals can reduce downstream health costs
• Practical ways to make a dental practice more inclusive and less intimidating
• How dentists and dental professionals can gain experience caring for patients with IDD
• Why inclusive practice changes may benefit anxious and fearful patients as well