Chicago Special Parent Magazine 2008

HEALTH Going to the dentist? Procedures under sedation are OK BY LIZ DECARLO A routine trip to the dentist with a child who has special needs can often be anything but routine. Now a new study has shown that using general anesthesia for dental procedures is safe for the majority of children with disabilities. “This group of patients are generally not cooperative and very often their dental health needs go unmet,” says Dr. Zak Messieha, associate professor of clinical anesthesiology at the University of Chicago Medical Center, the principal investigator on the study. “Because of that, the need for sedation is often required to conduct the procedures safely.” The study assessed the safety of general anesthesia for dental treatment of special needs patients and determined that it is, in fact, safe. But before your child undergoes a dental procedure with general anesthesia, parents should ask the dentist about the level of anesthesia and make sure the person is very experienced in providing general anesthesia for children with special needs, Messieha says. This applies whether the procedure is being done in a dental office or in the hospital. After the procedure, parents need to be given clear instructions, in writing, about how to care for their child post-anesthesia. “Obviously hydration is very important, as is injury precaution, the child cannot go out and play and do things that require full alertness,” Messieha says. And you should have a number to contact the anesthesia team for any urgent concerns. “It’s important that they (children with special needs) have access to oral health care because it’s important to their overall health,” Messieha says. Messieha recommends parents start with local dental societies for recommendations on dentists or visit the following Web sites: the American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists at www.asdahq.org, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry at www.aapd.org, Special Care Dentistry at www.scdonline.org or The American Dental Society of Anesthesiology at www. adsahome.org. Contact us today: Emily J. Eckert 134 North LaSalle Street Suite 1720 Chicago, Illinois 60602 312.307.4470 www.attorneysforchildren.com emily@attorneysforchildren.com Does your child have special needs? Autism Mental retardation Deafness or hearing impairment Blindness or visual impairment Emotional disturbance Speech or language impairment Traumatic brain injury Orthopedic or health impairment Specific learning disability Special Education Law Attorneys for Children works as a team with you, your child’s teachers, the school district, and all service providers to create the most effective Individualized Education Program (IEP) to meet your child’s unique needs. An IEP is a written plan for each child with a disability, which sets out how the child’s unique special needs will be met. If your child does not have an IEP in place, or if there is an IEP but it is not sufficiently meeting your child’s goals, you may need help having an appropriate IEP developed or advocating for necessary services. ChicagoParent.com | Specıal Parent 2008 CHICAGO | 9 http://www.asdahq.org http://www.aapd.org http://www.scdonline.org http://www.adsahome.org http://www.adsahome.org http://www.attorneysforchildren.com http://www.attorneysforchildren.com http://ChicagoParent.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Chicago Special Parent Magazine 2008

Chicago Special Parent Magazine 2008 Contents In Our Shoes Of Mothers and Mission Control A Love Story Keeping the Whole Family Well What Do I Do? Resources God's Special Child Our Kids Inspirations

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