Each year, more than 29 million Americans see a dentist but no medical provider. For these individuals, the dental chair is their first and only meaningful point of contact with the healthcare system. And yet, dentists are too often excluded from broader conversations about a patient’s overall care.
That’s a missed opportunity.
In an era of increasing focus on preventive and holistic care, the routine dental visit remains an underutilized resource for early intervention. The mouth is a window to whole body health, and dentists are uniquely positioned to observe early signs of many potentially serious health issues. By recognizing the value dentists bring in frontline healthcare as practitioners who can positively change the trajectory of a patient’s overall health, we have an opportunity to improve health outcomes for millions of people.
Why oral health is total health
Historically, dental care has been siloed from the broader medical system, long seen as isolated from systemic health or associated primarily with aesthetics. This misperception has led to a disconnect between dentistry and medicine and has led to oral health care being undervalued in terms of its impact on overall health. In fact, the mouth can reveal a lot about what’s happening in the rest of the body. Gum inflammation, or “periodontitis,” for instance, rarely stays confined to the mouth. Once bacteria enter the bloodstream through the gums, effects can ripple throughout the entire body. This inflammation can contribute to plaque buildup in the arteries, gradually increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke – one of the clearest examples of the connection between oral health and systemic wellness.
Identifying health risks through oral health screenings
Consider this: People with severe gum disease are 2.55 times more likely to suffer a stroke. Those with untreated tooth infections face a 2.7 times higher likelihood of having cardiovascular problems.
The good news is that regular dental visits, at least once a year for professional cleanings, are linked to a 14% reduction in cardiovascular risk.
The effects of oral health are everywhere in the body. People with a history of gum disease are 45% more likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer. And people with diabetes are up to three times more likely to develop gum disease than those without diabetes.
The connection is too strong to ignore. Prevention in the dental chair may be one of the most overlooked strategies for protecting the heart and other parts of the body.
Dental visits are key to improving patient outcomes
We have a powerful opportunity to reimagine how and where prevention begins. Dentistry has long embraced a culture of prevention. Routine cleanings, screenings and early intervention are standard practices. This mindset is something we can incorporate into the broader medical care system.
That evolution starts with embedding standardized clinical protocols into both dental and medical settings. Just as primary care visits often include blood pressure checks or lab work, dental visits could also serve as meaningful checkpoints for systemic health. Saliva diagnostics, for example, may one day help detect early signs of cardiovascular issues, diabetes or even some cancers.
But integrating oral health care into the larger healthcare ecosystem takes more than new protocols. It also requires stronger collaboration between providers. We can create easier, more consistent touch points between dental and medical providers by integrating health records that offer a complete picture of a patient’s wellbeing. By strengthening the connection between dentists and physicians, we can enable real-time care coordination, ensure patients get follow-up when needed and help teams spot risk factors earlier.
This kind of integration is already being put into practice. Using EHRs, dental and medical records are being brought together so that providers across specialties have access to the same critical health information. This shared medical record also enables a standardized approach to preventive care by embedding protocols, like routine blood pressure screenings and risk assessments, into dental settings to catch broader health issues earlier.
By fully integrating oral health into the healthcare system, we can support earlier detection, more coordinated care and better health outcomes for millions.
Picture: Nastasic, Getty Images
Beyond Delta Dental, Dr. Croley is actively engaged in the broader oral health ecosystem, fostering collaboration among insurers, dental professionals, professional associations, healthcare standards organizations, and quality improvement initiatives. His work emphasizes access to care and the integration of oral health into whole-person health strategies. He was recognized for his collaboration with the American Heart Association to help develop cardiovascular screening standards for the oral healthcare setting. Dr. Croley earned his dental degree from the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry and completed a general practice residency at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky.
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