College of Dental Medicine’s Pediatric Dentistry Residency Training Program

In 2010, the Health Resources and Services Administration funded the College of Dental Medicine’s Pediatric Dentistry Residency Training Program aimed at treating children with special healthcare needs. As part of this project, a specialized dental clinic was established for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aged 18 months to 10 years. Treatment at this clinical site involves the provision of dental services integrated with behavioral supports. To date, the clinic has provided service to over 500 children with ASD in Broward County.

 

 

Pediatric Dentistry residents participating in this unique training program often conduct research projects aimed at examining the effectiveness of the specialized techniques and training utilized in the clinic. Nicole S. Etcheverry, DMD and Marisa Chanin, DMD, Pediatric Dentistry residents, recently presented their research in Orlando, FL at the 2023 American Academy for Pediatric Dentistry Annual Conference based on their published article titled, “Parent Perception of Child’s Behavior during the Initial Dental Visit among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Cross Sectional Study.”

Citation: Chanin, M.; Etcheverry, N.;Levi-Minzi, M.A.; Chung, J.; Padilla, O.; Ocanto, R.A. Parent Perception of Child’s Behavior during the Initial Dental Visit among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Cross Sectional Study. Int. J. Environ. Res.Public Health 2023, 20, 2454. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032454

Disseminating information related to the work done in the clinic is invaluable to the field of dentistry, particularly in terms of increasing the workforce of dental providers proficient in treating this special population.