PENN DENTAL MEDICINE
Building Accessible Care with New Center
For the 61 million Americans who have disabilities , going to the dentist can be a harrowing experience . It is estimated that one in seven residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania – nearly two million individuals – have at least one disabling condition . From the perspective of Dr . Mark Wolff , the Morton Amsterdam Dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine , having a physical or intellectual disability should not alter one ’ s access to highquality dental care . And his firm belief is that every dentist should be able to provide that care .
“ A mentor I trained with 40 years ago believed this , and so when I started practicing , I always had a number of patients with disabilities or medical complications ,” Dean Wolff said . “ I didn ’ t realize this was a novel way of doing things for a decade or decade and a half .”
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28 MAY / JUNE 2021 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL