Oral Medical Care Coordination: Awareness

KDHRC recently published a new research brief series entitled Oral Medical Care Coordination in the U.S. This research brief series breaks down our report on a systematic literature review and our recommendations for future oral medical care frameworks. Oral Medical Care Coordination strives to improve public health outcomes by integrating care for the mouth and body to achieve reductions in poor oral health and chronic disease. While the evidence base on the benefits of oral medical care coordination is robust, less is known about current levels of adoption of such coordinated systems in the U.S. After a thorough literature review, our recommendations included key program pillars that undergird success, replicability, and sustainability: Awareness, Workforce Development and Operations, Payment, and Information Exchange.

Our first research brief in the series starts with the Awareness pillar. The Awareness pillar focuses on the importance of increasing recognition, knowledge, understanding, and perception about equitable, whole person-coordinated care, as well as the oral-systemic connection across the lifespan. Public understanding of the connection between oral health and overall health can significantly influence acceptance and use of coordinated care services. Additionally, many currently practicing providers recognize the connection between oral health and systemic conditions, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, but feel inadequately trained to address such co-occurring disorders in their practice.

Thus, raising awareness within institutions that train future providers is a crucial first step toward reducing institutional and systemic barriers to coordinated care among providers. Enhancing knowledge and understanding of the oral-systemic health connection will be fundamental to transforming provider attitudes and behaviors and encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration. Providers can be informed via professional training, peer-reviewed articles, information from trusted organizations, practice guides, and conferences. From there, targeted public awareness campaigns to inform the public about the connection between oral and systemic health can emphasize the benefits of coordinated care and create demand for providers and institutions offering this care model.

To learn more about this pillar, check out the complete research brief here: https://www.kdhrc.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Number-36-June-2025_MDI-3_FINAL.pdf