In the professional pledge of dentistry taken at graduation, prioritizing the health and well-being of patients and providing high-quality dental care are accepted as guiding principles. Dentists naturally want to see patients happy, healthy, heard, and thriving. We also aim to improve their oral and overall health outcomes and help more people get the critical services they need.
Medical-dental integration (MDI), a collaborative approach to dentistry where oral health is integrated into the entirety of patient care, marries all these things seamlessly. Four small steps to incorporate this comprehensive care approach into your practice can give you a deeper understanding of your patients’ health, help you make better-informed treatment decisions, and grow your practice.
Benefits of MDI for patients
With its total view of patient health, MDI supports early detection and treatment, personalized treatment plans for better health outcomes, increased access to care, improved quality of life, and reduced emergency room visits for untreated dental problems.
While coordinated medical and dental care is beneficial for everyone, it can be especially valuable for those enrolled in Medicaid. This group often faces many challenges to achieving better wellness. A recent study examined different social, economic, and geographic factors related to chronic disease—persistent systemic conditions responsible for 90% of the nation's $4.5 trillion in annual health-care costs.1 It found that populations with the highest occurrence were in areas with greater socioeconomic disadvantages, such as low incomes and home values.2
The study also showed that this population experienced barriers to care access, such as long travel distances to health-care facilities and a low percentage of car ownership.2 Because chronic disease is more common in this group, MDI can help manage existing conditions by addressing correlating oral health issues that can worsen over time.
The value of MDI for dentistry
Besides benefiting patients, MDI offers numerous opportunities for professional growth. Whole-person care fosters interprofessional collaboration with a wide range of medical clinicians, affording a deeper understanding of an individual’s health and medical conditions that impact oral health. This can also lead to a greater diversity of health issues to be addressed, enabling the expansion of a practice’s scope and a potential increase in patient volume by those looking for holistic care. Most importantly, MDI has a strong focus on clinician and patient education, which benefits the profession by promoting and elevating dentistry’s importance in overall health.
How to integrate an MDI approach
There’s a lot to figure out when adopting MDI, and it may take time to decide if this approach is right for your practice. Some of the more challenging details include partnering with health-care systems, investing in electronic health record software that supports sharing medical and dental records, and training medical clinicians about the impact of oral health on overall wellness.
4 things to do now to take an MDI approach to your practice
1. Prioritize learning about a patient’s medical history.
Gaining a better understanding of patient health beyond the mouth can provide a clearer picture of overall wellness. When you take the time to dive deeper into other factors that can impact oral health, such as changes in medical history, current medications, and lifestyle habits, it can lead to better-informed treatment decisions and patient care.
2. Brush up on medical issues that impact oral health.
Continue to expand your knowledge of the many medical conditions that can affect the mouth. For example, advanced gum disease, dry mouth, and oral sores can be signs of more serious medical conditions that may require follow-up by a physician. Establish guidelines regarding when to send a patient for a medical assessment so there’s a standard in place.
3. Expand your network of clinician referrals.
Developing relationships with primary care physicians, specialists, and other clinicians is key to supporting and encouraging interprofessional collaboration. This is beneficial when medical referrals are needed and for managing complex cases. Look for MDI-themed conferences and events to stay current on the latest research and advancements, and to share experiences with like-minded professionals.
4. Partner with insurer networks that prioritize MDI.
A network agreement with an insurer provides more than just access to members. Many insurers offer continuing education classes, informational resources on the oral-systemic connection for patients, and other benefits.
Insurers dedicated to elevating oral and overall health—not just with dentists but with members of the communities—offer a partnership committed to improving health outcomes by offering benefit designs that support better oral care for their members.
These recommendations will get you on the right track to implementing MDI principles in your day-to-day work that can be of great benefit to your practice. With its patient-centered approach to oral care treatment, MDI holds great promise in improving wellness and access to care for all patients, especially the most vulnerable, while building a more integrated health-care system that’s centered on total health.
Editor's note: This article appeared in the April 2025 print edition of Dental Economics magazine. Dentists in North America are eligible for a complimentary print subscription. Sign up here.
References
1. Fast facts: health and economic costs of chronic conditions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. July 12, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/chronic-disease/data-research/facts-stats/index.html
2. Benavidez GA, Zahnd WE, Hung P, Eberth JM. Chronic disease prevalence in the US: sociodemographic and geographic variations by zip code tabulation area. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. February 29, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2024/23_0267.htm
