N.Y.U. dental center caters to disabled
BY GABE HERMAN
The New York University College of Dentistry
opened a facility this year that treats patients
with physical, developmental and cognitive
disabilities.
The Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities
opened in February at First Ave. and E. 24 St.
The 8,000-square-foot space includes nine patient
treatment rooms, featuring extra space for wheelchairs
or accompaniment by family or a caretaker.
The treatment rooms also have lights that change
colors for a soothing effect, plus iPads to attach to
patient chairs.
There are also two sedation suites, which prevent
most patients from having to be referred to hospitals
for treatment, according to Dr. Ronald Kosinski,
the center’s clinical director and clinical associate
professor at the N.Y.U. College of Dentistry.
Other special features include a lobby with a
noise-dampening ceiling, and reception desks at
wheelchair height.
There is also a multisensory room to calm patients
who might start to get upset. The room includes
different colored lighting and materials like
a mat and heavy blankets, and is a work in progress
that includes efforts from other N.Y.U. schools,
including engineers, artists and health specialists.
Sometimes an exam will be done on the fl oor of
that room for an upset patient, Kosinski said.
Along with the center’s staff, all N.Y.U. dental
students will now pass through the facility as part
of their training. Previously, it was only students
in an honors program that learned to treat people
with disabilities, in a Special Patient Care Program
that started in 1971.
Kosinski said the new center will take about a
year to become fully operational.
“Every day’s a little better and we have an unbelievable
staff,” he said.
He noted that there is no specialty in special-care
dentistry, and traditionally it’s mostly pediatric
dentists that have trained to work with disabled patients.
In general, there is often a lack of care available
for adults with disabilities.
“Numerous studies have shown generally poor
access to vital health services for both children
and adults with disabilities,” said Marco Damiani,
C.E.O. of AHRC New York City, a nonprofi t that
serves people with disabilities. “The N.Y.U. Dentistry
Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities
will promote greatly improved access. But it
exceeds basic expectations by enabling access to a
welcoming state-of-the art facility, dental treatment
services from highly experienced and engaged faculty,
and a service vision that underscores dignity,
respect and coordination of care.”
Research has shown that disabled people have
worse oral health than the general public, and less
access to care. There are about 950,000 New Yorkers
with a disability of some kind, including 99,000
wheelchair users.
The new $12 million N.Y.U. center accommodates
wheelchair users with a special wheelchair
lift/tipper that avoids the need for the patient to be
transferred into a conventional dental chair. This
The new N.Y.U. center features nine spacious patient treatment rooms, including one with
a reclining wheelchair platform that allows patients to be treated in their wheelchair instead
of being transferred to a dental chair.
was a major benefi t for patient Christine Mace, a
quadriplegic who lives in the Flatiron District.
Mace said that being treated in the tilted chair
made the experience “more hassle-free” than the
typical dental experience, which she said involves
an annoying transfer out of her chair.
“Just the option of not having to get out of my
chair was the reason I chose to go to the clinic,” she
said. “It defi nitely was a pleasant change.”
Mace said the new facility will be her go-to place
for dental visits, and she hopes that kind of accessibility
spreads for others. Mace became disabled
after a spinal cord injury in 2002 at age 19. She
noted that she has experienced life with and without
a disability, and that awareness must be raised
about disabled people’s needs in businesses and society,
in general.
“It’s defi nitely a nice change,” she said of the care
at the new center, “and something that would be
nice if they could implement around the city.”
Kosinski noted there have been facilities around
the country that treat disabled patients, but they
have traditionally been philanthropic projects. And
compared to N.Y.U.’s new center, “nobody’s done it
in such a big way.”
He added it could be the start of a trend, with
COURTESY N.Y.U. PHOTO BUREAU: ROEMER
other schools initiating the process to create similar
facilities, including at the University of Pennsylvania
and University of Texas at San Antonio.
Part of students’ training is overcoming fear of
how to deal with disabled patients, Kosinski said,
by having students spend time with the patients
and learn about their needs.
“It’s patience and understanding,” he said.
“Those are the two qualities we’re trying to teach
the students.”
For their part, patients generally give good feedback,
calling the center a dignifi ed and respectful
place to be treated, Kosinksi said.
“This is for me a dream come true,” he said. “To
be able to see the smiles, that’s what makes it all
worthwhile, when you can change a person’s life
from a dental exam.”
While N.Y.U. Dentistry has had about 3,000 appointments
annually for people with disabilities, it’s
expected the new center will see 8,000 visits the
fi rst year and more than 10,000 the second year.
Kosinski said, so far, they are on pace to reach
the fi rst year’s goal.
“I feel like we’re doing the right thing,” he said.
“This community has had no voice in the dental
community.”
Schneps Media TVG August 15, 2019 15