By GREGORY ZELLER //
Farmingdale State College has joined forces with one of the world’s leading medical manufacturers to strike a delicate balance in a critically important corner of the healthcare universe: Dental hygiene for special-needs patients.
In late June, the SUNY school ceremoniously cut the ribbon on the latest addition to its innovative Dental Hygiene Care Center: the Henry Schein Cares Sensory Unit, a specially designed, sensory-controlled environment stocked with cutting-edge features for patients with learning difficulties and developmental disabilities, created in conjunction with Melville-based mega-manufacturer Henry Schein.
Like the rest of the Dental Hygiene Care Center, the public-facing Henry Schein Cares Sensory Unit serves dual purposes, providing FSC dental-hygiene students with hands-on educational experiences while providing actual dental services for real-life patients. In this case, the patients have special needs – and the students are learning best practices for treating patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other sensory challenges.
Susan Vogell: Clinical-grade caring.
To that end, the new unit features numerous bells and whistles to calm patients’ nerves – actually, fewer bells and whistles, with a caring ear focused on patients who may be challenged by the sounds and bustle of traditional dentist’s offices.
Noise-canceling headphones, fidget toys, sunglasses and calming music help set the tone, while fiber-optic curtains and wall art – complete with “interactive custom light effects,” according to Farmingdale State – steer patients’ attention away from sickle probes and dental drills.
Portable equipment stands ready to treat patients where they’re more comfortable, while specially designed communication software helps connect with nonverbal patients.
It’s all about overcoming dental-care challenges that can be tough enough on patients without special needs, according to FSC Dental Hygiene Department Chairwoman Susan Vogell, but are especially difficult for patients who struggle to reconcile external stimuli with internal emotions.
“People with Autism Spectrum Disorder, sensory processing disorders or heightened sensitivity can experience greater oral-healthcare challenges, which are often associated with heightened responses to sensory input,” Vogell noted. “Traditional dental offices have bright lights and loud sounds, which can be overwhelming and can cause the patient to experience anxiety and become uncooperative.”
While providing welcome relief for emotionally wrought patients, the chairwoman added, the new unit also provides frontline experience for FSC learners who will soon face similar scenarios in their professional careers.
“We are educating our students to become more knowledgeable and competent clinicians while at the same time serving our community,” Vogell said.
“Overwhelmed and uncooperative” pretty much sums up the prior dental experiences of 6-year-old Emily Goff, the Henry Schein Cares Sensory Unit’s first patient. According to Emily’s mother, Megan Goff, the frightened little girl “could not, at all, handle the dentist” – but all that changed with the arrival of the new, emotionally sensitive unit.
Cut above: Farmingdale State College and Henry Schein Cares Foundation dignitaries join FSC President Robert Prezant (center) to ceremoniously open the new Henry Schein Cares Sensory Unit.
“When we came in here, they were able to do pretty much a full workup on her as well as clean her teeth,” Goff said. “And for me, that was huge because I never thought that my child with special needs, with major sensory issues, could ever be examined, in a billion years.
“She was able to sit in something other than a dental chair and play with the lights and get breathers when she needed it,” the relieved mom added. “Regular dental offices are just not able to give that.”
That’s (calming) music to the ears of the Henry Schein Cares Foundation, a philanthropical wing of the global manufacturer on a mission to promote healthcare equity and empower healthcare providers around the world.
Kimberly Smith, Henry Schein’s national sales director for U.S. dental schools, called the FSC collaboration “a testament to the importance of community partnerships in advancing healthcare education and accessibility for all.”
“For decades, we have worked to expand access to care for vulnerable and at-risk populations” Smith said in a statement. “As part of this work, we strive to shine a light on the pressing needs of patients with disabilities.
“The opening of the Henry Schein Cares Sensory Unit represents a significant step forward in providing inclusive dental care and training for future dental professionals.”
