Electronic Health Records in Dentistry: Relevance, Challenges and Policy Directions

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Digital Health Transformation
• Oral Health Integration

Background:

• Electronic health records (EHRs) have revolutionized healthcare, but dentistry lags in integration.
• This risks isolating dental data from the broader health ecosystem.
• The FDI World Dental Federation advocates for integrated EHRs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the global EHR landscape for dentistry.
• To identify opportunities and risks associated with EHR integration in dental practices.
• To propose policy directions for successful integration of oral health into digital health frameworks.

Main Methods:

• Narrative review of global EHR development.
• Analysis of international experience and national case studies.
• Incorporation of insights from FDI Consensus and Policy Statements on EHRs.

Main Results:

• Linking dental and medical records presents both benefits and challenges.
• Key oral and general health indicators for integrated systems are identified.
• Relevant standards and interoperability frameworks are presented.

Conclusions:

• Comprehensive, secure, and interoperable EHRs are essential for dentistry.
• Integrating oral and systemic data on equal footing with medicine is vital.
• Policy recommendations and a call to action are provided to embed oral health in digital health transformation.