A delegation of the Fire Brigade from the Caldiero detachment visited the Dentistry Service for young patients with neurodevelopmental disorders of the autism spectrum at the Marzana Hospital, to donate games to give to children as positive reinforcement during dental treatment.
The outpatient activity of the Odontostomatology Service for small patients with disabilities of the ULSS 9 Scaligera is divided into the Marzana hospital and the San Bonifacio hospital, where treatments are carried out under anesthesia. Thanks to the proven collaboration with the Autism Center of Marzana, the Service carries out outpatient dental care for children with difficulties, favoring preventive and minimally invasive approaches.
Present at the delivery of the games were Dr. Elena Pozzani, Clinical Coordinator of the Dentistry Service for young patients with disabilities, her colleague Dr. Andrea Tagliente, and Dr. Anna Franco, Head of the Autism Center.
Already in 2022, the Caldiero Fire Brigade had donated USB devices, on which the staff of the Autism Center and the Marzana Dentistry Service, as part of the “Dentistry and Autism” project, then uploaded motivational videos for the little ones patients with autism, to be viewed at home with parents to get used to oral hygiene and the first dental visit.
«The project – explains Dr. Elena Pozzani – was born from the desire to facilitate access to outpatient dental care for patients with autism and thus reduce the need to subject them to general anesthesia, but also from the awareness that, with an adequate educational path and through a standardized targeted desensitization approach that fits their communication channels, this problem can be overcome. With this objective, a path was designed and tested to gradually introduce young patients to the dental clinic which begins at the “Autism Centre”, long before the dental visit, through the viewing of images, social stories and digital applications”.
This process has proven effective for all those involved and has allowed us to develop two degree theses from the School of Speech Therapy at the University of Verona which will soon be the subject of scientific publication.
«The ultimate goal – adds Dr. Pozzani – is to provide all dentists with an educational tool that can transform a child with the “fear of the dentist” into a confident and collaborative child, remembering that little ones always learn by “playing”. On behalf of the entire team, I thank the Caldiero Fire Brigade for this new and important gesture of generosity towards “our” kids.”
