Chronic Disease and Medical/Dental Integration

Poor oral health is a contributing factor to, and a symptom and consequence of many chronic diseases. Understanding the relationships between and among oral health and chronic diseases, and how strategies for health promotion, disease prevention, and early intervention can be collaboratively developed and implemented, can facilitate efficiency and effectiveness in public health approaches. These approaches will not only enhance the ability of chronic disease programs to implement their strategies but will also help to integrate oral health programs from 'siloed' programs into more mainstream public health efforts. Although some of the resources don't address all aspects of the connections between oral health and chronic diseases, they should be helpful to oral health programs in educating health officials, policy makers, and others about how oral health messages can be effectively integrated into chronic disease prevention and health promotion activities -- particularly when programs are targeting the same risk factors and/or conditions. As promising approaches are identified, ASTDD will share them on this webpage.

General Resources

ASTDD White Paper: Opportunities for Improving Oral Health and Chronic Disease Program Collaboration and Medical-Dental Integration (October 2018)

Division of Oral Health At A Glance

Chronic Disease Collaboration Among Health Systems - What Can We Learn and Apply in Oral Health?

Examples of How Oral Health Promotion and Risk Reduction Strategies Align with the Chronic Disease Four Domains

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Association of Chronic Disease Directors website contains helpful links to chronic disease program resources and State Success Stories

Preventing Chronic Disease. Public Health Research, Practice and Policy - Online Peer-Reviewed Journal

Cardiovascular Disease

American Dental Association Fact Sheet on the Relationship Between Oral Health and Heart Health

American Heart Association webpage on the link between dental health and heart health

CDC Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention webpage

Diabetes

CDC Division of Diabetes Translation webpage.

Medical/Dental Integration

To decrease the complications associated with poor oral health and chronic disease, increased emphasis is being placed on identifying models for medical/dental integration.

Integration of Oral Health into Pediatric Medical Primary Care in Community Health Centers

Integration of Oral Health and Primary Care: Comprehensive Issue Brief Summarizing Opportunities for Grantmakers Integration of Oral Health and Primary Care Practice

Integration of Oral Health and Primary Care Practice

Integration of Oral Health and Primary Care: Marshfield Clinic Pilot Project

Medical-Dental Integration in Public Health settings: An Evironmental Scan
The University of Iowa Public Policy Center 2018

Medical/Dental Integration Toolkit from Delta Dental With Helpful Forms and Protocols for Bi-Directional Referrals

OHRC Highlights: Integrating Oral Health into Primary Care

Oral Health: An Essential Part of Primary Care

Partnership between the National Interprofessional Initiative on Oral Health and the Association of American Medical Colleges

Obesity Prevention

CDC Childhood Overweight and Obesity webpage.

CDC Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity webpage.