The Pacific Center for Special Care is an organization within the school of dentistry committed to improving the oral health of people with special needs and older adults on a local, state and federal level. Founded in 1998 by Pacific faculty members Dr. Paul Glassman and Christine Miller, RDH, the center has created best practice models of care, and lobbies for improved access to care for anyone with a special need, including people who have difficulty maintaing good oral health or accessing oral health services because of developmental, medical, physical, or social conditions.
Collaborating with private, state and other governmental agencies, the center’s numerous programs and resources include: the Statewide Task Force on Oral Health for People with Special Needs; the Community-Based System model of care; a primarily Web-based postgraduate program on oral care for people with special needs; an oral health training program for caregivers; an online resource directory; numerous educational courses for oral health professionals; and nationally recognized oral health prevention protocols for people with special needs.
The mission of the Pacific Center for Special Care is to:
