The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) hosted the first national conference on oral and systemic health on December 10.
More than 120 dental hygienists, nurses, other health professionals, educators in the health professions, and clinical/public health practitioners attended the conference, "Oral Systemic Link: Creating Collaborative Initiatives," where pathways to promote interprofessional education, research, and practice for dental hygiene and nursing collaborations were explored.
There are a number of potential dental hygiene/dental/nursing educational opportunities, such as nursing students conducting an oral health history and recognizing normal versus pathological variations of oral structures, noted Judith Haber, PhD, the associate dean of graduate programs at the New York University College of Nursing. A side-by-side consultation project with interprofessional students on comprehensive oral-systemic patient assessments and referrals for systemic health risks would be another innovation, Haber said.
Diabetes, osteoporosis, anxiety, tension, depression, earaches, eating disorders, poor nutrition, and some cancers can be identified by, and linked to, conditions in the oral cavity and head and neck regions, according to dental hygienist Jacquelyn Fried, MS, RDH, director of interprofessional initiatives at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry and the conference co-chair.
An educational grant from the Colgate-Palmolive Company supported the conference.
