Throughout the month of October, in observance of National Dental Hygiene Month, dental providers, patients, and health plans continue to engage in a conversation on best practices for oral health and maintaining good dental hygiene. For patients, healthy habits such as toothbrushing, flossing, using mouthwash, and making regular visits to your practice are critical to maintaining oral health and preventing cavities and gum disease.
What we find that gets missed by your patients and the larger healthcare field -- and what is critically important to know -- is that oral health has much larger implications on a person's overall health. For this reason, we must consider health holistically, as part of an integrated healthcare approach, rather than looking at oral health in a vacuum.
Integrated healthcare
Scott Towers, MBA, is the president of the dental division for Anthem.Integrated healthcare is an employee benefits strategy that connects a person's disability, vision, dental, and pharmacy benefits to their health plan's care management program. This allows doctors to better manage the whole health of the patient regardless of their area of medicine, insurance carrier's nurse care managers, disability case managers, and patient engagement.
By connecting dental care to a patient's medical care, certain health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, or pregnancy can be better comanaged. For example, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 47% of U.S. adults have periodontal disease. At the same time, having healthy gums helps patients with diabetes better manage their blood sugar levels, support healthier pregnancy outcomes, and limit risks for heart disease.
With this in mind, the importance of regular dental checkups to maintain good oral health to support overall health is obvious. Through integrated health, dental data can be shared with the patient's whole healthcare network immediately, ensuring the patient's entire healthcare network is aware of any gaps in regular dental care and to help close these gaps as quickly as possible. Addressing these gaps quickly is critical to ensuring a patient has the best care experience and outcome possible.
Improved outcomes and lowered costs
According to the CDC, 86% of healthcare spending in the U.S. is for treatment of chronic conditions. With integrated medical and dental care, we can help to lower these costs by ensuring each provider is aware of a patient's chronic conditions, thus allowing providers to adjust their care accordingly and treat chronic conditions more effectively.
Take for example a patient with diabetes. Because patients with diabetes are at great risk for periodontal disease, an integrated health plan will offer additional dental cleanings or periodontal service for those patients as part of their coverage plan. This allows a patient's full healthcare team to pursue the same goals of treatment.
We all know that healthy teeth are important, but the benefits of good dental hygiene and oral healthcare habits reach even further. This month, I urge you to discuss dental hygiene and oral health as a vital, integrated part of the overall health of a person.
Scott Towers, MBA, is the president of the dental division for Anthem.
The comments and observations expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DrBicuspid.com, nor should they be construed as an endorsement or admonishment of any particular idea, vendor, or organization.
