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Special Needs Dentistry Lab
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A lab that conducts research on providing dental care and oral health services to people with disabilities.
AboutAbout the lab
Helping people with disabilities see a dentist with confidence
The Special Needs Dentistry Lab conducts research on providing dental care and oral health services to people with physical or mental illnesses or disabilities (people with special needs).
The lab investigates the dental characteristics of people with disabilities and the mechanisms of their oral diseases. It works on a wide range of topics, from treatment and prevention methods and support for dental visits to building systems for delivering care.
The lab also develops information accessibility support for people with visual or hearing impairments, and tools that help people with developmental disabilities receive dental care.
Developing educational methods that help dental students deepen their learning about dentistry for people with disabilities is also one of the lab's research themes.
Key terms
- Special needs
- The term this lab uses to refer to people with physical or mental illnesses or disabilities.
- Information accessibility support
- Ensuring that people with disabilities receive the information they need, using methods such as braille, tactile diagrams, sign language, and written communication.
- Chemical plaque control
- An approach that maintains oral hygiene by controlling the formation and maturation of dental plaque through chemical means.
ResearchResearch themes
To provide dental care and oral health services to people with disabilities, the lab pursues a wide range of research, from clarifying dental findings to systems for delivering care and educational methods for students. Its methods vary as well, including case studies and surveys, experiments using gingival cells and bacteria, and tool development.
*Illustrative imageClarifying dental findings in people with disabilities
To explore the dental characteristics of people with a wide range of disabilities and their causes, the lab publishes the results of its case analyses at academic conferences and in journals. Because some people take many different medications, the lab also examines the effects of medications on the oral cavity.
*Illustrative imageCommunication and information accessibility in dental care
The lab develops visual tools to support dental visits by people including those with autism spectrum disorder. It also studies information accessibility support using braille and tactile diagrams for people with visual impairments, and sign language, written communication, and speech recognition technology for people with hearing impairments.
*Illustrative imageMechanisms of oral diseases in people with disabilities
Using gingival cells and periodontal pathogenic bacteria, among other things, the lab investigates the mechanism of periodontal disease in Down syndrome, which can begin at a young age and progress rapidly. It also studies drug-induced gingival enlargement and the effects of dental splints on the symptoms of Tourette syndrome.
*Illustrative imageDeveloping treatment and prevention methods for oral diseases
For people who find it difficult to maintain good oral hygiene, the lab studies how to improve cleaning efficiency with tools such as titanium dioxide toothbrushes, as a form of chemical plaque control. It also works on strengthening adhesion to teeth using YAG lasers.
MembersFaculty
The lab's members consist of faculty, Visiting Professors, visiting faculty, and visiting researchers.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorShigehisa Akiyama
- LecturerJumpei Murakami
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Child receives dental care in a clinic with a smiling dentist” Shixart1985 / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Clarifying dental findings in people with disabilities: “Dental chair in a dentist clinic” IrfanDP / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Communication and information accessibility in dental care: “Eye Gaze Autism 1” MissLunaRose12 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Mechanisms of oral diseases in people with disabilities: “Down Syndrome karyotype” Courtesy: National Human Genome Research Institute / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Developing treatment and prevention methods for oral diseases: “Toothbrush x” Jonas Bergsten / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Dental Anesthesiology Lab): “Anesthesia and monitoring equipment at a veterinary clinic in Newark, New Jersey” Veterinarian Pet Alliance / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Removable Prosthodontics and Gerodontology Lab): “Making of complete denture 06” Werneuchen / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Oral and Maxillofacial Functional Therapeutics Lab): “Team Mildenhall Dental Clinic- Bright smiles lead to mission success (4967541)” U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Brandon Esau / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Preventive Dentistry Lab): “Stock Images Electric Toothbrush” Electric Teeth / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
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