Incorporating oral health into interprofessional relations in special needs health care

The special needs population is an often overlooked population and has several disparities when it comes to health care. One of the most neglected pieces of the health disparity is oral health. Poor oral health can lead to several consequences both in overall health and quality of life. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act states clearly interprofessional relations as part of the health care industry future. In Healthy People 2020, Objective 30 for Maternal, Infant, and Child Health emphasizes the importance of giving children with special needs a comprehensive health care home. The proposition of this paper is to create case reports that are then discussed by health professionals in an interprofessional setting, with emphasis placed on the oral health component of the case. The impact would create practitioners that are not only more educated about caring for special needs patients, but also appreciate the role that other health professionals play in their care, especially oral health. The long-term goal is to create a network of doctors in the area in which referrals for special needs patients can be easily made. The public health significance of this essay comes in twofold: encouraging interprofessional relations and reducing the health disparity in the special needs population