Dental Services for Children with Special Health Needs

The Dental Clinic at the CDRC serves children and young adults to age 18 with disabling conditions. Children with cerebral palsy, autism, spina bifida, or genetic conditions are examples of some of those disabilities. The clinic also manages the dental and oral health of children with cancer and congenital heart disease.

The Dental Clinic is staffed by a pediatric dentist, Peter Lax DMD, and a Dental Hygenist. The clinic is located on the seventh floor of Doernbecher Children's Hospital at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. Children needing general anesthesia will utilize Doernbecher Children's hospital for day surgery. Children may be referred by a physician, nurse, or parent.

Other Dental Services

Other dental contacts for children and young adults with special health care needs include:

• Donated Dental Service (external link) - (503) 774-3898
  Funded by the State of Oregon, Donated Dental Service (DDS) serves individuals with mental retardation or developmental disabilities, the elderly and the mentally ill. The program seeks to have a volunteer dentist take on one patient case per month. The dentist is provided with support services and referrals to volunteer specialists. The program provides funding for any necessary lab work.
  
  

• Dental Access Program (external link) - (503) 988-6942
  Maintained through a partnership between the Multnomah County Health Department and the Healthy Communities Coalition, the Dental Access Program (DAP) serves families in the tri-county area who do not qualify for the Oregon Health Plan or Medicaid.
  
  
• Local county dental associations in Oregon (external link)
  
  
• Oregon Dental Association (external link) - (800) 452-5628