Support for the Production of a Video for Dentists on Providing Dental Care for Children with Autism 

Dr. David Tesini is a Boston-area pediatric dentist who provides care to special needs populations including individuals with autism.  Because of their increased sensitivities to various sensory stimuli such as loud noises, individuals with autism often have difficulty tolerating normal dental procedures. Using repetitive tasking and familiarization techniques that he has pioneered, he has had significant success providing dental care without sedation to this population. Dr. Tesini has created a dental program based on these techniques which if disseminated amongst dental professionals has the potential to vastly improve dental experiences for many individuals with autism. The NLM Family Foundation funded the production of a video, produced by Dr. Tesini, intended to train dental professionals on these techniques.