Over 15,000 New Yorkers with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, or IDD, struggle to get access to comprehensive dental care. That’s according to a 2021 survey by the state’s Office for People With Developmental Disabilities’ Task Force on Special Dentistry.

New Yorkers living with IDD can end up on waitlists of a year or even more to get the care needed.

Now, an innovative fellowship aims to help change this.

Jonathan Teyan, president of the nonprofit New York State’s Academic Dental Center, joined “News All Day” on “Wellness Monday” to detail the program.

Teyan says that people with IDD have real access issues and have been left out of the conversation about how the state allocates health care spending dollars.

His organization is working with the state on a fellowship that is training dentists on how to provide advanced care for people with IDD. With funding from the state, the program is increasing from two to six fellows this year.

From a policy perspective, Teyan says that changes to medicaid reimbursement would make a difference in helping dentists spend the necessary time with these IDD patients.

If you’d like more information, you can go to NYSADC.org.