MONTICELLO — Dental care is one of the top unmet health needs for children with disabilities. In addition to communication barriers and potential behavioral challenges, families often have difficulty finding dentists willing to treat disabled patients or who accept their insurance.

To address this gap in care, children and young adults with disabilities who receive day services at The Center for Discovery in Monticello will have access to a dental clinic this week—at no cost to patients and their families. NYU College of Dentistry students, residents, and faculty will provide dental care, including exams, X-rays, fluoride, and sealants.

This week’s clinic will mark the 5th time that NYU Dentistry faculty and trainees come to The Center for Discovery to provide care. Through twice-yearly visits, the NYU team works to build trust with the children and young adults to help them become more comfortable with seeing a dentist. The team employs sensory-sensitive models of communication and education, along with a toolkit of supplies to help patients feel at ease, such as therapeutic toys, weighted blankets and vests, and headphones.

The pop-up clinic at The Center for Discovery builds on NYU College of Dentistry’s longstanding commitment to improving dental care for people with disabilities. The College opened its state-of-the-art Oral Health for People with Disabilities in 2019 to provide comprehensive care to this population, and has trained its students in caring for people with disabilities since the 1970s.

The Pop-Up Clinic will be  from Wednesday, October 29 through Friday, October 31, at the Center for Discovery’s Café Building @ South Campus, 51 Kinnebrook Road, Monticello and Children’s Specialty Hospital, 195 Lake Louise Marie Road, Rock Hill, NY.