The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) has voted to require all U.S. dental schools to train students to manage and treat patients with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
The commission now requires schools to ensure that their training programs and curricula are inclusive to patients with special needs, according to an August 14 release from the National Council on Disability. The council first recommended the requirement in 2007.
Changes must be made to orthodontics programs by January 1, 2020. Dental hygiene, predoctoral dental, and dental assistant programs must be revamped by July 1, 2020.
