Aim and background: Children with special health care needs (CSHCN) are one of the world's underserved dental patient populations. Poor oral hygiene may be caused by an underlying disability, decreased manual dexterity, or an adverse effect of certain drugs. Conducting frequent professional dental visits to promote preventative oral health habits and ensure early detection and therapy of dental abnormalities is one strategy to preserve oral health status. Numerous studies have regularly demonstrated that the CSHCN continues to face significant challenges and barriers in accessing medical and dental treatment. To identify the clinical barriers that general dentists confront when diagnosing and treating CSHCN in Gujarat, India. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among the Indian Dental Association (IDA) members of Gujarat. A validated electronic questionnaire was sent to the participants through e-mail. The data collected was entered into a computer and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Results: About 93.8% of the participants were aware of the term CSHCN, but only 28.1% of them participated/attended a course on diagnosis and treatment of CSHCN (p < 0.001). Despite being not specially trained 54.4% of practitioners have treated a CSHCN with an untrained nonclinical staff (56.9%). Lack/difficulty in communication (72.5%) with the child was the biggest barrier. Conclusion: This study presented a reliable picture of the barriers to access for CSHCN within the dental practice system. Recommendations for changes to the undergraduate dentistry curriculum should be made in order to better prepare future graduates to work with this group of special children.