Project aims to transform dentist experience for people with learning disabilities

Caring Beyond Words is being funded through a Programme Development Grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research
Dentist wearing green gloves giving dental examination to patient
Getting dental treatment can – for many people – feel like something of a challenge. But for those with learning disabilities, the difficulties can start far earlier in the care process, meaning they encounter substantial barriers in accessing essential dental services on a global scale.
Previous studies have shown children with learning disabilities face higher rates of hospital admissions for tooth extractions and, as they move into adulthood, there is a risk of their dental health deteriorating rapidly.
A new project, led by the Â鶹´«Ã½ and funded through a Programme Development Grant from the , will explore whether art and creativity can provide a means to help better understand how such issues might be overcome.
The Caring Beyond Words project will unite a team of artists, writers, and community support staff with some of the UK’s leading researchers in both dentistry and learning disabilities.
Its aim is to conduct a series of engagement sessions that bring researchers together with individuals with learning disabilities to understand how best to change dental care to make it work better for the patients.
The project will lead to a series of new projects to pilot and test how these interventions can work in dental environment. Ultimately, the hope is that the project could transform dental care for individuals with learning disabilities, identifying gaps in current care and fostering innovative solutions based on their lived experiences.
The project is being led by academics from the Â鶹´«Ã½ Institute of Health and Care Research (PIHR) , and CIDER – Cornwall Intellectual Disability Equitable Research , three research bodies based at the University.

Many people struggle when it comes to going to the dentist, but for people with intellectual disabilities those challenges are only amplified by their condition.

Until now, there has been very little research exploring what can be done to support patients impacted by such conditions, and the dentists treating them. Our hope would be that, through this project, we can find solutions that improve the patient experience and be incorporated into current and future dental practice.

Mona NasserProfessor Mona Nasser
Director Â鶹´«Ã½ Institute of Health and Care Research (PIHR)

The new project builds on existing University research, uniting healthcare and the arts to try and overcome the challenges faced by people with a range of medical and mental health conditions.
Through the Anxious ‘tells’ (AngST) project, experts in dentistry and filmmaking are working to find ways of supporting patients who suffer from extreme anxiety when visiting the dentist.
Meanwhile, the ORIGIN initiative is enabling researchers to work with young people aged 16 to 24, co-designing an online arts and culture intervention aimed at reducing anxiety and depression.

Dental concerns are a routine cause of diagnostic overshadowing in people with learning disabilities.

Their presentation of distress is often thought to be related to mental health problems or seizures, leading to them being at risk of being put on psychotropic medication. Perversely, unaddressed dental concerns lead to significant change in physical and psychological wellbeing precipitating crises which should not happen. It also lends itself to difficulty in conducting suitable assessments. Our project explores ways in which we can maybe make inroads to dental assessment and treatment faster and more meaningfully.

Rohit ShankarProfessor Rohit Shankar
Professor of Neuropsychiatry and Director of CIDER

Through partnerships with and the , the project will also directly involve people with learning disabilities, their families and carers, to fully understand the individual challenges they face in accessing dental care.

This a great opportunity for people with learning disabilities, their families, dentists and researchers to work together to create the solutions that can help everyone have a better experience of dental care.

Samantha Clark
Chief Executive Officer at Learning Disability England 

Caring Beyond Words

People with learning (or intellectual) disabilities often have worse oral health than other people. They may also find it harder to get the dental care they need.
This project aims to work closely with people with learning disabilities to understand the problems they face and come up with solutions together.
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