A new partnership between the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Dental Medicine and Woods Services is bringing much-needed dental care to people with disabilities, a population often underserved in oral health services.
Announced in 2022, the collaboration led to the opening of Penn Dental Medicine at Woods in 2023 on the Woods campus in Langhorne, Bucks County, PA.
The state-of-the-art facility, housed in the Mikey Faulkner Dental Care Center, serves residents and out-patients of Woods, staff members, students at the onsite school for special needs, and members of the broader community.
The Center is staffed by Penn Dental postgraduate residents and attending dentists, providing hands-on experience in treating patients with cognitive, developmental, or physical disabilities.
Marc Henschel, associate professor of clinical preventive and restorative sciences at Penn Dental Medicine, said the program aims to increase the number of dental providers skilled in treating patients with disabilities.
“Barriers to care exist because there are limited dental resources for this population,” Henschel said. “Patients may have behavioral or cognitive challenges or simply be apprehensive about visiting the dentist.”
Simon Kimmelman, senior executive vice president and chief legal officer at Woods, noted that many people with disabilities receive little or no dental care.
The Center was designed to address these challenges with accessible, spacious, and low-stimulation treatment areas.
Large operatories accommodate wheelchairs, a quiet room provides a calming environment, and a rear-delivery system minimizes patient anxiety by keeping instruments out of direct view.
To ease patients into treatment, dental staff often meet first-time patients in the waiting room, using handheld toothbrushes to familiarize them with the experience.
Henschel emphasized that treating patients with disabilities often requires adapting standard procedures and spending time on desensitization.
The partnership benefits both patients and dental residents. Henschel recounted a former resident who, after completing the program, successfully treated a Woods patient in private practice and trained colleagues to care for similar patients.
Kimmelman said feedback from patients, caregivers, and family members has been overwhelmingly positive. “It’s been an incredible success,” he said, noting the program’s impact on both care quality and accessibility.
