Advancing Oral Health Care in Children with Special Needs: Innovations, Integration, and Access

Dear Colleagues

Oral health is an essential part of general health, particularly in childhood, where it plays a critical role in growth, nutrition, communication, and social interaction. For children with special healthcare needs, including those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disabilities, genetic syndromes, or neuromotor conditions, maintaining good oral health can be significantly more complex. These children often face higher risks of oral diseases, compounded by behavioral, cognitive, and physical challenges that can complicate both daily oral hygiene and access to professional dental care.

Despite growing awareness, the management of oral health in this population still faces numerous clinical, educational, and organizational challenges. Dentists often encounter difficulties related to patient cooperation, limited specialized training, and inadequate integration into other healthcare services. Parents and caregivers, on the other hand, may struggle with a lack of support, resources, or access to specialized care.

For this Special Issue, we invite contributions that explore innovative, evidence-based strategies to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of oral conditions in children with special needs. We are particularly interested in interdisciplinary approaches that bridge dentistry with pediatrics, psychology, education, and social care. Submissions may include original research articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, case reports, or methodological papers.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Oral health assessment and care management in children with disabilities;
• Behavioral and pharmacological strategies to facilitate dental treatment;
• Integration of oral health into multidisciplinary care frameworks;
• Digital health solutions and the role of telemedicine;
• Educational interventions and caregiver support;
• Accessibility, health equity, and public health perspectives.

We encourage researchers, clinicians, educators, and healthcare professionals to contribute to this Special Issue and help develop a more inclusive, evidence-informed model of care for children with special needs.

Dr. Silvia Cirio
Dr. Maria Grazia Cagetti
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.