Thought Leader Break: Medical-Dental Integration: A Matter of Social Justice

This session is generously supported by the American College of Dentists.

The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." Such a state is not possible without the inclusion of the mouth. Oral health is essential to physical, mental and social well-being, but barriers such as a lack of covered services, no integrated electronic health record , no coordination of care and a host of other systemic barriers have perpetuated a divide between the health of the mouth and the rest of the body. This Thought Leader Break, sponsored by the American College of Dentists (ACD), an organization committed to excellence, ethics, professionalism and leadership in dentistry, will discuss the benefits and barriers to medical-dental integration. As a matter of social justice, more coordination between medicine and dentistry is necessary to ensure better health as defined by WHO.