ISDH conference

The challenging subject of ’Autism Friendly Dentistry’ was the focus of the Irish Society for Disability and Oral Health’s (ISDH) annual conference last month (24 June) at the Convention Centre in Dublin.

ISDH President Dr Adrianne Dolan welcomed delegates to the event and introduced a day of multi-disciplinary talks from health professionals, carers and teachers. Dr Dolan, who is a senior dental surgeon (special needs) in the HSE in Dublin, explained that the dental team within which she works has a special interest in treating children with autism. This, along with feedback from delegates at previous conferences, prompted the theme of this year’s event.

The first speaker was Galway Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Dr Alma Lydon, who presented on ’Managing the dental care of children and adolescents on the autism spectrum’, before Helen Lewis, a Special Needs Co-ordinator from a primary School in Lisburn, spoke about the perspective of autism in a mainstream school.

Dr Dolan and Mrs Margaret Curran then took to the podium to give their ’Tricks and tips from Surgery A’.