Dental Program

Dental Care for Children with Special Needs

Dental care for individuals with special needs is the answer to a long-standing medical need. By virtue of their special needs, many children cannot receive traditional dental services. Dentists with specialized training are needed to care for these children.

In 1970 the Humanitarian Foundation, Grottoes of North America, started on a path to help special needs children with their dental treatment. Dental Care for Children with Special Needs Program began a unique partnership with qualified dentists throughout the United States and Canada. The program was designed to help these children with the best dental care possible. Since its inception, children have been treated at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, in Chicago, IL, Medical College of Ohio, in Toledo, OH and Children's Medical Center in Dallas, as National Treatment Centers. Through the extension program, a child can be treated in his/her community by a local dentist and/or hospital. The Parents select the dentist of their choice and our program works directly with the dental office to process the claim and issue payment.

(Dental brochure available through HF Office)

The services are rendered free of charge to any child under the age of 18 without regard to faith, race, creed or color. Each child is sponsored by a local Grotto. The program covers children afflicted with the following:

Our program is always the secondary carrier when insurance is involved and does not cover those children under Medicaid/Medical Card. It also does not cover any type of orthodontic or re-constructive jaw surgeries. With the exception of the initial visit, all treatment must be pre-authorized.

The Members, their Families and Friends of the Grottoes of North America have labored diligently to provide the necessary funds toward improvement in the oral health needs of these children, who for some reason beyond their control are too often excluded from the mainstream of dental care.

If you have or know of a child that needs our help, or if you have questions about our program, please email your inquiry to the Humanitarian Foundation office. Please send your name and address, so we can connect you with the Grotto Representative in your area. Send your email to: Humanitarian Foundation The Grotto Representative will be notified, he will contact you and will supply you with a parent form and a dental form to be completed by you and the Dentist for pre-authorization of the needed treatment.

Special Olympics - Special Smiles Program and the Grottoes of North America work together to help Athletes with their dental needs. Grottoes of North America will be helping those Athletes under the age of 18. Special Olympics - Special Smiles will be at many of the State and Local events in the Healthy Athlete area, conducting Dental Screenings. For those children who qualify for the Grottoes Program, applications will be available at the event. For events and information about the Special Olympics and the many other programs they offer, you can visit their web site. Special Olympics, Inc.

It is the goal of Special Olympics and the Grottoes of North America to provide better dental care for the Athletes, better education to the Dentists in the local area, so persons with special needs will have an opportunity to readily receive the dental care they need and in some cases have been denied because there was not a dentist in the area that could handle their special needs.