Trattamento multidisciplinare del paziente special needs

Patients with Special Health Care Needs (SHCN) represent a heterogeneous population requiring individualized and multidisciplinary dental care due to the complexity of their medical, cognitive, behavioral, and functional conditions. Their management is particularly challenging in pediatric dentistry, where effective communication, behavioral strategies, caregiver involvement, and, when necessary, pharmacological sedation are essential to ensure safe and effective treatment. As life expectancy increases, continuity of dental care from childhood to adulthood has become an increasingly important clinical issue, requiring structured coordination among dental and medical professionals. This study focuses on the multidisciplinary management of pediatric and adult patients with special needs within the “Sorrisi Speciali” section of the Unit of Pediatric Dentistry and Odontostomatology, in collaboration with the Prosthodontics and Implantology Unit. The aim is to describe a personalized, multistep treatment pathway in which each clinical intervention is integrated into a comprehensive long-term plan, addressing current needs while considering future orthodontic, surgical, and prosthetic rehabilitation. Particular attention was given to the assessment of patients’ medical and behavioral conditions, level of cooperation and compliance, ability to manage prosthetic devices independently, and the involvement and education of caregivers. Prosthetic rehabilitation was considered on an individual basis, balancing functional and esthetic goals with clinical feasibility, patient cooperation, family context, and expected quality of life. Digital technologies, including intraoral scanning, CAD-CAM design, and guided surgery, further support personalized treatment planning and the fabrication of individualized prosthetic devices. A multidisciplinary, patient-centered approach may therefore provide continuity and coherence of care, supporting oral function, esthetics, psychological well-being, and social participation in patients with special needs throughout their transition from childhood to adulthood.