Bulletin of Dental Education Article

A sensory room in the dental setting offers significant benefits for people with autism, sensory processing disorders or heightened sensitivity, according to published research in Children. The Henry Schein Cares Sensory Room at Farmingdale State College is a private room with a sensory-controlled environment designed to soothe patients who may be unsettled by the noise and activity of a traditional dental care center. The goal is to help them feel more comfortable and relaxed to receive care.

The room is dimly lit with soft-colored lighting and features sensory textures, fidget toys, noise-canceling headphones, compression chairs and blankets, all of which is used to help soothe patients in preparation for their dental treatment. The primary goal is to help calm patients so they can be treated in the main clinic, although some patients feel more comfortable receiving treatment in the sensory room. For those patients, the room is equipped with a medical-grade chair that reclines and the dental equipment is accessed from where it’s hidden in cabinets when not in use.

People with special needs often experience greater oral health care challenges that can be associated with heightened responses to sensory input, according to research articles from The Canadian Journal of Dental Hygiene and JAMA Network Open. A traditional dentist’s office often has bright lights and loud sounds that can be overwhelming to a person with autism. Such stimulus can cause the patient to experience anxiety and become uncooperative. Furthermore, special needs patients often experience difficulty obtaining adequate oral health care due to lack of experiential training among dental providers, according to published research in BMC Oral Health.

The sensory room provides a calming environment that reduces anxiety and helps patients feel more comfortable, making them more likely to be cooperative and ultimately leading to better oral health outcomes. In the process, oral care providers earn the trust of these patients, which encourages them to return for future visits.

Additionally, it is important for dental hygiene students to be knowledgeable and comfortable in providing care to people with autism in a clinical setting. The Henry Schein Cares Sensory Room provides FSC dental hygiene students the educational experience to better treat people with autism and other sensory challenges.

Not only does the Henry Schein Cares Sensory Room serve a community need, but dental hygiene students are also better prepared and armed with the experience, tools and confidence needed to care for this vulnerable population.  

The FSC Department of Dental Hygiene offers a two-year Dental Hygiene Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree and a four-year Dental Hygiene Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree, with the option to complete the B.S. program online.

The college’s care center includes 35 dental units and a seven-room radiology suite, with treatment provided by students and supervised by registered dental hygienists and dentists employed by the State University of New York. Approximately 1,500 patients are treated each year in the clinic. The Henry Schein Cares Sensory Room allows for the treatment of one patient at a time. A faculty member supervises the treatment performed by a dental hygiene student. 

Courtesy of Farmingdale State College Department of Dental

Published on July 8, 2026