Interprofessional Dental Care: An International Perspective.

Area of Science:

• Oral health
• Interprofessional healthcare
• Public health policy

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the critical need for enhanced interprofessional communication and cooperation in patient care.
• Dentistry often lacks integration across teaching, research, and clinical practice.
• There is insufficient communication and collaboration among dental professionals and with the broader healthcare team.

Purpose of the Study:

• To emphasize the critical need for improved coordination and cooperation in interprofessional medical and dental care.
• To advocate for the inclusion of interprofessional medical and dental care in health policies at all training and service planning stages.
• To highlight the potential leadership role of dentists in preventing and managing oral and systemic diseases.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on interprofessional collaboration in healthcare and dentistry.
• Analysis of current gaps in integration across dental education, research, and practice.
• Policy analysis concerning the integration of oral health into broader health strategies.

Main Results:

• Significant deficiencies exist in interprofessional communication and cooperation within dentistry and between dental and medical fields.
• Current training and service planning inadequately address the integration of dental and medical care.
• Dentists are uniquely positioned as frontline professionals for early detection and management of systemic diseases through oral health assessment.

Conclusions:

• There is an urgent requirement to enhance interprofessional collaboration between dentists and medical professionals.
• Integrating dental care into 'Health in All Policies' is vital for comprehensive public health.
• Dental professionals must assume leadership roles to improve patient outcomes and public health.
• Postgraduate dental education should incorporate recommendations to improve clinical teaching and resident competency in interprofessional practice.