Where do We Fall Short With the Oral-Systemic Connection?
Practicing dentistry for nearly a decade and half has opened my eyes to a wide variety of exciting breakthroughs. I have witnessed first hand the constant change that lead dentists and other health professionals in search of the newest and latest ideas in equipment, material, practice management, and business techniques. Exciting disciplines such a sleep therapy, botox injections, orthodontia, periodontology, laser therapy, cosmetic and day spas have allowed us to “sub-specialize” and even dedicate entire practices around one or two of these concepts. We can make excellent financial names for ourselves and treat hundreds if not thousands of patients without ever breaking out of our daily routine or even speaking with another health professional.
Operating these successful practices sometimes means that everything else - and I mean everything else - gets put aside for some future date with nirvana. Sadly, as many of you can relate, the consequences are two fold: First, the medical and dental community isolate themselves from one another by trying to compartmentalize the body and whole health; secondly, we often ignore science and evidence based truths relating to what we know in the prevention of disease.
Years ago, I noticed this alarming trend happening in my own life. Trapped within the four corners of a 10’ x 10’ operatory, I decided to do something about it! With renewed purpose of practicing dental medicine, I switched the primary treatment of my dental practice to that of cancer. I eventually streamlined my practice to focus on mostly those patients suffering from head and neck cancer. Unlike previous successful practice implementations, I integrated this dental practice into the medical community. I soon became a direct referral link for ENT surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and dentists practicing in my community. Furthermore, I quickly became a major part of a collaborative multidisciplinary team linking dentistry to medicine. Treating the side effects of radiation alone were enough for me realize that I needed to do more for the quality of life of my patients through increased dental and medical disease prevention.
Therefore, The International Society of Preventive Dentistry and Medicine (ISPSM) was started to provide a forum in which dental and medical professionals may freely interact creating a non-threatening environment of transparency between health professions. Prevention has long since been viewed as “something our patients do not want to hear” however, as the oral systemic link becomes more evident with each passing year, I realize more than ever our role as doctors to teach patients and other health professionals true evidence based medicine. The way I practice today is completely different than I used to over a decade ago. I have successfully built relationships in the medical community allowing me to better serve my patients. I continue to lecture nationally and internationally on preventive dentistry and medicine as my understanding and knowledge of oral systemic diseases increase. I hope you will join me with the hundreds of other like-minded members of AAOSH who share in this same vision. May you discover, as I have, the satisfaction of treating the “whole health” of our patients.
Dr. Kyle Ash will be speaking at the American Academy for Oral-Systemic Health's 6th Annual Scientific Session in Orlando, Florida. Learn more about the event and register here.