commentary C D A J O U R N A L , V O L 5 0 , Nº 6
Oral Health Care For Californians With Special Health Care Needs: A Chronic Problem in Need of a Solution Ray E. Stewart DMD, MS, and Ben Meisel, MD
abstract This manuscript sets the stage for the other articles in this issue pertaining to the current status of dental care for persons with special health care needs in California and addressing the chronic problem of reduced access to care faced by this population. The lack of access to oral health care experienced by the 7 million special health care needs (SHCN) patients in California serves as a proxy for the rest of the nation where there are too few providers who are adequately trained for and/or comfortable in accepting SHCN patients in their practices. This issue of the Journal explores the root causes of these disparities and offers potential solutions moving forward. Keywords: Special needs dentistry
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