Dental Economics: Whole-Person Care For Vulnerable Patients: The Value of Medical-Dental Integration

Opportunities exist and have been successful adding oral health risk assessment and dental hygiene education into primary care visits, inpatient hospital wards, and many federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). For example, CareQuest Institute for Oral Health Improvement launched a pilot program in Massachusetts, the COVID-19 Oral Health Recovery and Transformation (COHRT) Learning Community.⁹ COHRT focused on teledentistry in oral health disease prevention, minimally invasive care, and integrated and personalized treatment. Providers had tools including monthly assistance calls, access to subject matter experts, and a private virtual learning environment that encouraged peer interaction, which enabled participants to identify concerns and strategies to mitigate them. 

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