• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Link Between Oral, Medical Health to Be Examined at New Delta Dental of Minnesota Council Meeting

Posted on: Wednesday, 17 January 2007, 12:00 CST

A newly formed national advisory council, created by Delta Dental of Minnesota, will address the relationship between oral and medical health. Its inaugural meeting will convene in Chicago on January 19.

The National Advisory Council on Oral and Medical Health was formed in late 2006 to help identify and promote research findings into practice, identify scientific gaps for future research and policy, and increase public awareness of the importance of oral health and its connection to overall health. As the first interdisciplinary advisory council on the topic, the 11-member Council includes representatives from the dental, medical, public policy, and employer communities.

Although research is ongoing, scientific evidence has emerged in recent years linking oral disease to medical conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, respiratory illnesses, diabetes, and to pre-term or low birth-weight babies. For example, a 2006 study published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology continued to support findings on the link between the treatment of periodontal disease and improved blood sugar control for patients diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

As findings continue to emerge, new guidance will be needed about how such information can best be translated into dental and medical practice and what role practitioners should play in patient management. Payers have also become increasingly interested in the oral-medical health connection, as they seek to identify new ways of preventing the onset of costly chronic illnesses.

At the Council's January 19 meeting, members will review the current state of research in their respective fields, examine ways to more effectively translate scientific evidence into practice, and discuss how to undertake sustained changes in oral-medical practice. A follow-up conference is scheduled for September 2007.

Members of the Council are: Chair Robert Genco, DDS, PhD, State University of New York at Buffalo; Wade M. Aubry, MD, HealthTech; Kim A. Boggess, MD, University of North Carolina School of Medicine; Larry Boress, Midwest Business Group on Health; Jon B. Christianson, PhD, University of Minnesota School of Public Health; Richard E. Dixon, MD, FACP, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Chester Douglass, DMD, PhD, Harvard School of Dental Medicine; Katherine Erwin, DDS, MPA, Morehouse School of Medicine; Irene Fraser, PhD, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; David B. Pryor, MD, Ascension Health; and Sheila Riggs, DDS, DMSc, Delta Dental of Minnesota.

About Delta Dental of Minnesota

An innovator in oral health benefit plans, Delta Dental of Minnesota is an independently operated, nonprofit dental services company that administers self-insured and prepaid dental service plans. Delta Dental serves more than 8,200 employer groups with more than 3.1 million members in Minnesota and across the nation. Delta Dental of Minnesota is headquartered in Eagan, and has a customer service center on Minnesota's Iron Range. For more information about Delta Dental of Minnesota, visit www.deltadentalmn.org.

Source: Business Wire

More News in this Category