EC Dental Science

Introduction

While both oral health and medical (systemic) health seek to enhance health and well-being, dentistry and medicine in the United States are isolated and separated from each other; both in education and services [1]. Both professions provide health promotion, disease prevention, routine services, as well as emergency care when necessary. Dentists generally focus on the oral cavity, and most primary care physicians (e.g., Family physicians, Pediatricians, Internists) are the initial point of contact, and will coordinate continuing care for the rest of the body.

1. Mertz EA. “The Dental Medical Divide”. Health Affairs12 (2016): 2168-2175.
2. Institute of Medicine Committee on Quality of Healthcare in America. In: Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health system for the 21^st Washington (DC) National Academies Press (2001).
3. Preshaw PM., et al. “Periodontitis and Diabetes: A two-way Relationship”. Diabetologia1 (2012): 21-31.
4. Dietrich T., et al. “Evidence Summary: The relationship between oral and cardiovascular disease”. British Dental Journal5 (2017): 381-385.
5. Chaffee BW and Weston SJ. “Association between chronic periodontal disease and obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis”. Journal of Periodontology12 (2010): 1708-1724.
6. Al-Zahrani MS., et al. “Obesity and periodontal disease in young, middle-aged, and older adults”. Journal of Periodontal Research 5 (2003): 610-615.
7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Oral Health Surveillance Report: Trends in Dental Caries and Sealants, Tooth Retention, and Edentulism, United States, 1999-2004 to 2011-2016”. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Department of Health and Human Services (2019).
8. Institute of Medicine. Advancing Oral Health in America. National Academics Press (2011).
9. Institute of Medicine. “Improving access to oral health care for vulnerable and underserved populations”. National Academics Press (2011).
10. Borgnakke WS., et al. “Oral Health and Diabetes”. Chapter 31 in Diabetes in America, 3^rd Edition 2017 National Institutes of Health, NIH Pub No. 17-1468:31.1-31.51.
11. Atchison KA., et al. “Integration of oral health and primary care: communication, coordination, and referral”. 2018 National Academy of Medicine.
12. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “Position of the academy of nutrition and dietetics: oral health and nutrition”. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 5 (2013): 693-701.
13. Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). “Report IX, Contemporary Issues in Medicine: Oral Health Education for Medical and Dental Students”. Washington DC: Association of American Medical Colleges (2008).
14. Din FM and Powell V. “Integration of Medical and Dental Records to Improve Healthcare Outcomes, Costs, and Overall Public Health”. Robert Morris University (2008).
15. Lamster IB., et al. “New opportunities for dentistry in diagnosis and primary health care”. Journal of Dental Education 2 (2008): 66-72.
16. Mouradian WE., et al. “A new oral health elective for medical students at the university of Washington”. Teaching and Learning in Medicine 4 (2010): 336-342.
17. Dimatteo AM. “Periodontal disease and systemic health: emerging innovations shaping prevention, diagnosis, and treatment”. Inside Dentistry11 (2017): 30-41.
18. El Quarti I., et al. “Prevalence and risk factors of apical periodontitis in endodontically treated teeth: cross-sectional study in adult Moroccan subpopulation”. BMC Oral Health1 (2021): 124.
19. Alpert PT. “Oral health: the oral-systemic health connection”. Home Healthcare Management and Practice1 (2017): 56-59.
20. Wakida EK., et al. “Barriers and facilitators to the integration of dental health services into primary health care: a systematic review”. Systematic Reviews1 (2018): 211.
21. Harnagea H., et al. “Barriers and facilitators in the integration of oral health into primary care: a scoping review”. BMJ Open9 (2017): e016078.
22. Shimpi N., et al. “Knowledgeability, attitude, and behavior of primary care providers toward oral cancer: a pilot study”. Journal of Cancer Education: The Official Journal of Cancer Education2 (2018): 359-364.
23. Pourat N and Finocchio L. “Racial and ethnic disparities in dental care for publicly insured children”. Health Affairs 7 (2010): 1356-1363.
24. Sengupta N., et al. “Oral health integration into a pediatric practice and coordination of referrals to a co-located dental home at a federally qualified health center”. American Journal of Public Health 10 (2017): 1627-1629.
25. Hamagea H., et al. “Barriers and facilitators in the integration of oral health into primary care: a scoping review”. BMJ Open9 (2017): e016078.
26. Braun PA and Cusic A. “Correlation between medical providers and dental hygienists in pediatric health care”. Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice 16 (2016): 59-67.
27. Bernstein J., et al. “Listening to pediatric primary care nurses: a qualitative study of the potential for interprofessional oral health practice in six federaqlly qualified health centers in Massachusetts and Maryland”. BMJ Open3 (2017): e014124.
28. Braun PA., et al. “Delivery of oral health services at medical visits through 3 medical dental integration models”. JDR Clinical and Translational Research 1 (2024): 32S-40S.