Patients with disabilities

Dental Health Services Victoria is committed to ensuring that patients with special needs receive the same level of treatment as the general population.

Services

Several services are available for patients with special needs. These include:

• the Special Care Unit at The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne
• special needs vans for children
• a domiciliary service for homebound patients

To find out more, visit our special needs services page.

To ensure our staff understand the needs of people with disabilities and are confident to provide them with the appropriate care, we have produced a Disability awareness guide.

Access

Click here for disability access information at The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne.

Charlie’s story

Charlie is a 41-year-old man with quadriplegia living on his own. He is completely bed bound and has been receiving dental care from the Domiciliary Unit since 1989.

While his movement is limited, his interest in the wide world is not. Charlie uses a notebook computer which assists him to communicate regularly with many people from different parts of the world. To operate the computer, he uses a thin stick for the key pad and a joy stick which are both held between his teeth. This action has resulted in dental problems. The Domiciliary Unit studied his problems and decided to make him mouth guards. These worked to a degree to protect his teeth although they wore out very quickly.

After further investigation, acrylic upper and lower bite blocks were made with wonderful results. They are stable and can be easily removed and inserted. Charlie’s zest for life is inspirational to us all. The Domiciliary Unit, with close cooperation from our dental laboratory, is proud to be able to make a difference for people like Charlie.

We are consistently working to improve access to the Hospital for patients who have difficulties with mobility.