Challenges in caring for patients with special needs
How you can ensure the treatment you provide are safe, appropriate and tailored to a patient’s special needs
The Dental Board of Australia describes Special Needs Dentistry as that branch of Dentistry concerned with the oral health care of people with an intellectual disability, medical, physical or psychiatric conditions that require special methods or techniques to prevent or treat oral health problems or where such conditions necessitate special dental treatment plans.
When providing oral healthcare, it is important to be able to identify those patients where increased consideration needs to be given to their medical condition(s), and/or the medications or treatments used to treat these medical conditions. In addition, recognising physical, intellectual or cognitive limitations and/or potential psychosocial influencing factors enables the provision of oral health care to be holistic, and provided with empathy and compassion.
Learning objectives;
- To understand the scope and breadth of Special Needs Dentistry.
- To Increase awareness of how to identify patients with increasing complexity due to medical treatments/care and simple strategies that can help and not hinder successful oral healthcare.
- To recognize those ‘red flags’ for when further support or information should be sought, where to find that support, and when referral to a SND specialist may be beneficial.
About our speaker:
Associate Professor Sharon Liberalli
A/Professor Liberali completed her undergraduate dental degree at the University of Adelaide in
1986 and was awarded a Doctor of Clinical Dentistry in Special Needs Dentistry at the University of
Adelaide in 2009. In 2010 she became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons
in the special field of Special Needs Dentistry. In 2011 she was awarded a Fellow of the International
College of Dentists (FICD) and in 2013 a Fellow of the Pierre Fauchard Academy. In 2019 she
completed a Master of Science in Medicine (Pain Management) in Orofacial Pain at the University of
Sydney, and in 2022 was made a Fellow of the Academy of Dentistry International.
A/Professor Liberali is the Director and Senior Consultant of the Special Needs Unit, Adelaide Dental
Hospital, SA Dental Service, and holds an honorary Associate Dental Consultant position at the
Royal Adelaide Hospital. She is the Program Director of the undergraduate and postgraduate
programs in Geriatric & Special Needs Dentistry at the Adelaide Dental School, University of
Adelaide, and is the Principal Dentist at Health Partners Dental.
A/Professor Liberali is a past President of the SA Branch of the Australian Dental Association and is
currently on the Constitution Committee. She is a long-term member of the federal ADA Infection
Control Committee, has been both Chair and Vice-Chair and represented the ADA on the HE-023
committee for Standards Australia and the NHMRC Infection Control Guidelines Advisory
Committee.
A/Professor Liberali currently sits on the newly created federal ADA Board.
A/Prof Liberali was awarded a Distinguished Service Award for her services to the dental profession
from the federal Australian Dental Association in 2019, and the SA Branch of the Australian Dental
Association in 2020.
In the King’s Birthday Awards in 2023 she was awarded an Officer (AO) in the General Division of
the Order of Australia for distinguished service to Special Needs Dentistry, to Infection Control
Practice enhancement, to tertiary education and to professional organisations. She was also
recognized on the COVID-19 Honour roll in recognition for her contribution in support of Australia’s
response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Webinar Times:
QLD, NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS - 8pm
SA, NT - 7.30 pm
WA - 6pm
Registration cost:
DHAA Members: Webinar registration is free for all categories of DHAA membership.
Non members: registration is available for non members at a cost of $40 per attendee.
Webinar link
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