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6 Oral-Systemic Health Implementation Mistakes

There are a lot of unknowns when it comes to incorporating oral-systemic health into your practices. How do you get started? What do you say to help your patients understand and accept it? How will you get compensated for this added work and time to educate and communicate with other professionals?

Unfortunately, there isn’t a set process for implementing oral-systemic health into a medical or dental practice. It’s a gradual transition, and one that starts with educating yourself. If you’re on the AAOSH site, you’re already on your way to understanding more about the oral-systemic connection than most healthcare providers out there.

And while we can’t give you a step-by-step oral-systemic implementation guide at this point in time, we can give you a pretty clear idea of what not to do. Here are some of the biggest mistakes dental and medical professionals make when implementing oral-systemic health into their practices and lives.

  1. Not talking about overall health at all. The worst mistake you’ll ever make as a practitioner is not discussing the oral-systemic connection with your patients. After all, no one can or will agree to treatment when they don’t understand its significance or how easy it is to implement change.
  1. Only talking oral-systemic to patients who have chronic conditions. Of course, talking to a diabetic patient about the bi-directional relationship between diabetes and periodontal disease is important. But don’t forget that dentistry has been one of the few healthcare sectors that prioritizes prevention. Start by really delving into each patient’s health history. Ask the why, what, who and how—not just the yes/no questions. Ask about family history and what their concerns for future wellness and to be cancer-free are. Then start slowly with the education process first.
  1. Ignoring puffy eyes, headaches, and constant yawning. Oral-systemic health is not just about periodontal disease and bacteria. Sleep disorders, TMJ disorders, and craniofacial pain can significantly diminish a person’s quality of life. Be on the lookout for these symptoms and have an established plan of action.
  1. Only looking at clinical signs of periodontal disease. If you’re still basing your diagnoses solely on probing depth and bleeding gums, you’re missing a substantial portion of the population with dangerous levels of pathogenic bacteria that don’t manifest traditional symptoms of periodontal disease. Bacterial testing and salivary diagnostics are reliable and quantifiable ways to detect disease, probability of disease and prevention.
  1. Not educating your team. At AAOSH, we hear stories all the time about dentists coming to our conferences, getting fired up about oral-systemic health, then getting frustrated when their team isn’t on board. Implementing an oral-systemic approach is a team effort, and everyone must be on board with all of it, to achieve success. Make an effort to first make sure you and your team practice exceptional health and then keep your entire team educated to the latest research and education on oral-systemic health.
  1. Not incorporating a medical team. The scope of dental care has dramatically widened over the past few years as the oral-systemic link has become accepted across healthcare. Even insurance companies are jumping on board, with new codes being developed for oral-systemic reimbursements. The only sure way to treat the whole patient for the future will be by connecting and collaborating with allied healthcare professionals that will assist in ensuring the best outcomes for your mutual patients. Not to mention, you both can benefit from the mutual new referrals.

Think about your own practice. Have you made any of these mistakes? If so, you’re not alone. There are many aspects to oral-systemic health—which is still a relatively new concept in clinical practice—and certainly too many to mention in one article. What would you add to this list?

Oral-Systemic Health Case Study Opportunity

Whether you’re new to oral-systemic or you’ve had years of success, we’re looking for you! We are now accepting applications to participate in oral-systemic case studies to be presented at our 7th Annual Scientific Session. If you’re interested in participating, learn all about the case study program and submit your documentation by April 1.