Policy on the Dental Home
Purpose
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) supports the concept of a dental home for all infants, children, adolescents, and persons with special health care needs. The dental home is inclusive of all aspects of oral health that result from the interaction of the patient, parents, dentists, dental professionals, and nondental professionals. Establishment of the dental home is initiated by the identification and interaction of these individuals, resulting in a heightened awareness of all issues impacting the patient’s oral health.1 This concept is derived from the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) definition of a medical home which is an approach to providing comprehensive and high quality primary care and not a location or physical structure.2