Oral Health for People with Disabilities Technical Assistance Center Program.

Assembly Member Arambula's proposal to establish the Oral Health for People with Disabilities Technical Assistance Center Program aims to reduce reliance on sedation and general anesthesia in dental care for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. The Department of Developmental Services would contract with a California public dental school by July 2027 to administer the program, with the option to partner with other accredited dental institutions.

The contracted dental school would identify up to 10 participating regional centers and develop community-based dental care systems incorporating teledentistry. The program requires participating schools to demonstrate experience in reducing sedation-based treatments while improving oral health outcomes. Key responsibilities include recruiting dental providers, implementing operational systems, providing ongoing training, and collecting program data for annual legislative reports.

Regional centers would play a central role by designating program leads, establishing vendor agreements with oral health professionals, and identifying eligible individuals - particularly those facing extended wait times for sedation-based dental care. The Department must establish protocols for payment structures, service authorizations, and streamlined vendor processes while allowing regional centers to share anonymized outcome data. The bill's findings note that current reliance on sedation and general anesthesia creates access barriers and increases health risks for this population, while recent advances in dental techniques offer alternatives that could reduce wait times and costs.