Integrating Oral Health Across Healthcare

Also known as “medical-dental integration”. Educational information, resources, and innovative activities helping our health systems to work together.  

Actions for non-dental health teams to consider initiating for improving oral health

• Integrating oral health into primary care settings

• Interprofessional oral health faculty tool kits for nursing, nurse practitioner, and midwifery curricula, Oral Health Nursing Education and Practice  | NYU

• Consider adding an oral care protocol for hospitalized patients – oral health in healthcare settings to prevent pneumonia toolkit | CDC

Actions for dental teams to consider initiating for improving overall health

• Practice antibiotic stewardship, "Be Antibiotic Aware” | CDC

• Integration of Behavioral and Oral Health User’s Guide | National Network for Oral Health Access

• Dental providers as vaccinators 

• Consider HbA1c and blood glucose screening for at risk patients | ADA

• Consider oral point of care screening for HIV | CDC

• Dental healthcare personnel continuing education 

Shared Resources

Oral Health Practice Guidelines for Pregnancy and Early Childhood (PDF)

Division of Oral Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion | CDC

Medical-Dental Integration Resource Library | Carequest Institute for Oral Health

Archives – Historical MDPH Office of Oral Health Fact Sheets 

• Oral health patient fact sheets

• Fluoride fact sheets and resources