The Journal News in the Lower Hudson Valley of NY reports that dentists and hygienists of the Westchester Institute of Human Development (WIHD) have been traveling to group homes throughout the county treating mentally and physically disabled patients.Some disabled people with limited hand mobility have poor oral health because they are unable to brush and floss on their own, the article says.
Only a fraction of the dentists who accept Medicaid are able to treat special-needs patients, said Dr. Patricia Seagriff, a dentist who directs the WIHD dental clinic in Valhalla and the mobile van, in the article.
"That's the problem, nobody accepts their insurance, and the ones that do might not be able to see them because they can't spend the time or don't have the training to treat these patients."
