HJAR Mar/Apr 2024

58 MAR / APR 2024 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS ORAL HEALTH WHY DO DENTISTRY and medicine histori- cally have such a boundary between the two disciplines? There is such an abundance of science-based evidence of oral health affect- ing overall health that it has become com- mon knowledge to healthcare providers. Why, then, has it remained separate and distinct with dentists and physicians practicing in separate silos? During the 19th century, two “self-trained” dentists approached physicians at the Uni- versity of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. 1 Their proposal was to add den- tal instruction to medical courses, as they regarded dentistry a profession with formal education, licensing, and peer-reviewed DIALOGUE COLUMN ORAL HEALTH visit a physician than a dentist. 3 Consequen- tially, moreAmericans lack dental insurance than medical insurance. 4 There have been health leader proponents who called out the detachment, including Charles H. Mayo, one of the founders of Mayo Clinic. He addressed theAmerican Dental As- sociation in 1928 and said, “The practice of medicine includes dentistry, and dentistry is a special branch of medicine.” 5 On May 27, 2021, The World Health Orga- nization approved a resolution on oral health. The key points of the resolution include the following: • Integration of oral health into national health policy. scientific consideration. The proposal was rejected, so the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery was established in 1840, becoming the first in the world, chartered by the Gen- eral Assembly of Maryland. 2 This divide between dentistry andmedicine is apparent not only in structured education, but also in insurance reimbursement mod- els and records management. This further highlights the dissociation, making it more difficult for medical-dental integration. The separation also affects some special popula- tions in obtaining access and equitable care, and those who have poor oral care are among them. Statistically, those who have the high- est risk of poor oral health are more prone to CARIES RISK ASSESSMENT: What It Means for Overall Health