SIU School of Dental Medicine

Children with Special Dental Care Needs

The SIU School of Dental Medicine proudly serves central and southern Illinois as a Dental Care Home for children with special dental care needs. The faculty, staff, residents and students at SIU SDM remain focused on serving low-income children who have cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and other neurological disorders and genetic syndromes, as well as children with heightened anxiety due to age or other factors.

The School continues to provide an affordable dental care option for families with no place else to turn. It is the only program in Illinois outside Chicago that offers dental anesthesia for children on Medicaid.

In most cases, the children treated through the School's Special Dental Care Needs Program are severely traumatized by the time they are referred to the program. Upon an initial evaluation, children are often found to have extensive tooth decay, often requiring extraction or extensive rehabilitation. In these cases, the child is frequently experiencing considerable pain. In turn, the child is not eating well or sleeping well, and likely, not performing well in school as a result.

Your gift to the School will allow the School to continue to provide much needed dental treatment for children with special dental care needs who likely would not otherwise have access to the care they need. Your generosity will have an amazing positive impact on the children who receive treatment through this important program.