Messenger - Vol. 4, No. 4, Page 10 1995 Alumni Profile - A special dentist Laurie Jacobs, Delaware '82, is one of only a handful of dentists in Delaware who regularly treat severely disabled adults and children. These patients frequently have decayed teeth and gum disease because they cannot brush or floss correctly. Jacobs estimates that she has treated more than 2,000 persons with disabilities from Delaware and surrounding states over the last two years. That work, which requires specialized training and patience, is one that most dentists shy away from. "These are people who have been through clinics and the system and haven't received much help," says Jacobs, a pediatric dentist. "For a lot of them, I'm the last resort." "I took courses in treating the disabled after I found out that a cousin of mine with Down's syndrome was having trouble finding a dentist," she recalls. Jacobs followed her father and grandfather into the profession, and she is married to oral surgeon Barry Roseman. "I've known since I was 7 years old what I was going to be," says Jacobs, a native of Wilmington, Del. "My grandfather practiced in Elkton, Md., for 68 years. You do what you know. I've been working around a dentist's office since I was 10." A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dentistry, Jacobs took additional training at the University of Maryland in College Park and at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore. After graduation, she was hired as the director of dentistry at the Stockley Center, a state-run home for the mentally retarded in Georgetown, Del. "It was rewarding work, but I found out that I didn't like doing the institutional thing," says Jacobs. "So, I began my own practice." Chuck and Carol Selvaggio's 12-year-old daughter, Emily, has been a patient of Jacobs for eight years. Emily has cerebral palsy. "Emily is not amenable to going to the dentist," says Selvaggio, who lives in Wilmington. "She's very sensitive to unpleasurable experiences. Her reactions are more extreme than most children. She needs to be sedated to have her teeth cleaned. Dr. Jacobs also has performed oral surgery on her. She's been very good to Emily." About 40 percent of Jacobs' practice is working with patients with disabilities, many of them through Delaware's Division of Mental Retardation. "It's important to make these patients feel comfortable after the procedures," explains Jacobs. "If a tooth is discolored, I will fix it if that's what the patient wants. Cosmetics are important, but not as much as making the patient comfortable and functional." -Terry Conway