Overcoming Historical Separation between Oral and General Health Care: Interprofessional Collaboration for Promoting Health Equity.
Since the founding of dental schools as institutions distinct from medical schools, dentistry-its practice, service delivery, and insurance coverage, for example-and dental care have been kept separate from medical care in the United States. This separation is most detrimental to undeserved groups at highest risk for poor oral health. As awareness grows of the important links between oral and general health, physicians and dentists are collaborating to develop innovative service delivery and payment models that can reintegrate oral health care into medical care. Interprofessional education of medical and dental students can help produce clinicians who work together to the benefit of their patients.
Fellow in oral health and medicine integration at Harvard School of Dental Medicine in Boston and a medical student at Harvard Medical School.
Lisa
L
Simon
D003191:Comprehensive Health Care; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D003729:Dental Care; D003815:Dentists; D004517:Education, Professional; D000069576:Health Equity; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D009909:Oral Health; D010348:Patient Care Team; D010820:Physicians; D012306:Risk; D014481:United States