Introduction
The incorporation of dentistry with medicine currently takes the frontline in overall health care provision. The understanding of periodontal disease’s relationship with systemic health complications drives the alignment of oral health services to primary care providers. The extent to which dental providers integrate medicine principles in serving their clients makes it clear that physician colleagues can deliver what they do, and vice versa (Hummel et al., 2015). However, dental care provision has long been autonomous in the management of services and the handling of patients. The dentists deal with all cases as independent practitioners and treat the patients from the perspective of oral health care needs. Contrarily, medical care unites diverse fields of the health profession, including naturopathy, in offering services to clients. Research unveils that the traditional evaluation of dental complications is a practical approach in determining patients’ overall health (Alpert, 2017). Besides the periodontal inflammations and dental calcification, panoramic health complications are detectable in the orofacial region of the body. Moreover, saliva serves as a potential indicator of systemic diseases when the samples are put to diagnostic tests using biomolecule markers like antibodies (Edgar et al., 2012).
Dentists and dental hygienists are health professionals who play a pivotal role in addressing the oral health issues of a population. Dental health professionals give treatments that mainly focus on the procedure they execute to save lives. It is contrary to physicians who invest in cognitive skills to evaluate complications clients present (Ghotane et al., 2017). Through the advancement into translational research, new approaches in patient care open in dentistry. The oral health providers assimilate principles in medicine to deliver substantial treatment to the patients. Moreover, dental hygienists believe that health concerns are beyond teeth problems. It implies that the assessment of diseases and inflammatory responses and treating them comprise the routine services dental providers give to the clients (Ghotane et al., 2017). Thus, we, as dental providers, have a high duty to understand and care for patients in their oral and overall health. There are many aspects of overall health indicators in the oral cavity to help evaluate patients before being diagnosed. Underlying diseases such as diabetes, heart diseases, arthritis, and asthma can be examined and treatment referrals can be made by dentists.
Background
Historical Employment Overview
Dentistry originated in the United States during the 1900s and advanced to be a worldwide profession. Mainly, dentistry professional provides services for the prevention and treatment of periodontal diseases, and inflammations in the oral cavity. The approaches utilized by oral health providers educate the clients on dental care and orthodontic medication to patients of all ages (Guven, 2017). Currently, the discipline of dentistry extends to holistic health care. Majorly, its practitioners deal with tertiary complications stemming from infectious diseases and autoimmune inflammations. The prominent mouth cavity problems are associated with adults and vulnerable people like HIV/AIDS patients (Jegatheeswaran & Kumar, 2015). The growing burden of oral cavity complications puts the community into unfulfilling access to health services since the demand for such treatments is high.
The profession of oral therapists and dental hygienists was developed to curb specific oral health complications. The intention was to ensure that dental care services are administered to patients who seek medical attention from surgeons (Jegatheeswaran & Kumar, 2015). Furthermore, the effectiveness and efficiency of managing the clients were to improve in the sector of dentistry. The progressive expansion of the duties and scope of clinical service delivery by dental hygienists serves as a vital mechanism of addressing overall health matters (Guven, 2017). Moreover, doctors of natural medicine boost the workforce to reach the population which has limited access to oral health services and is overwhelmed by dental complications.
Underutilized Naturopathy Profession in Overall Health Provision
Dentistry as a discipline has been for long independent from other health care professions. Mostly, dental surgeons and oral health providers’ services are limited to mouth cavity complications. However, following the discovery of the link between oral health and systemic illness, dentistry is aligning to natural medicine in serving clients (Teunser et al., 2016). Heart diseases, diabetes, pulmonary diseases, and cancers are related to the health status of the oral cavity. Moreover, research has revealed that periodontitis and rheumatoid arthritis functions concurrently in deteriorating the health of a patient (Guven, 2017). Thus, it implies that dental providers, while treating oral cavity complications, are handling holistic health concerns in patients.
Dental practitioners get equipped for the overall health evaluation and treatment from the learning institutions, and during practice. While learning, dentists and oral therapists get trained on the physical assessment of patients. Moreover, the course work entails understanding the relationship between oral health and systemic diseases, and appropriate medication to give on each case (Teunser et al., 2016). However, the final years of education mainly focus on retroactive processes of treating patients, which are prioritized by a higher percentage of dental providers. Consequently, the dental therapists’ scope of operation gets narrowed, and physicians become proactive in handling systemic diseases in patients. Mainly, only dental professionals become acquainted with complications in the teeth (Guven, 2017). However, the examination of oral health status should form part of the duties and responsibilities of doctors of natural medicine. It implies that the training of dental hygienists requires a rigorous and diversified syllabus, which includes systemic diseases management.
Dental Hygienists to Address Overall Health Issues
The productive efforts of dentists in addressing the medical concerns of patients make them equal to physicians in medical care. For a long, dental providers have not been inactive contact with patients to address systemic diseases and disorders. Mainly, the surgeons alienate their services from the general health issues and perform duties as private practitioners (Florio et al., 2017). However, the health sector trends demand the unity of professionals and concentration knowledge and skills to one pool in managing public health issues. Medical practices encourage physicians to act as a team and not as an independent body, as depicted in dentistry. At some point, the dissatisfaction of patients by a medical team gets addressed by dental providers. Eventually, the frustration makes clients put trust in dental surgeons and therapists after realizing overall wellness in the body from their service. Mouth as the point of systemic disease manifestation, the assessment of its integrity makes dentists have first-hand responsibility in the evaluation of the probable health concern in a patient (Gambhir et al., 2016). Thus, it unveils the medical issues that relate to the presented clinical symptom.
A comprehensive evaluation of clients is part of the responsibilities of dental providers while giving services to patients. Competency in handling clients in a comprehensive manner, that is, determining the overall health status of the body, improves the professionalism of oral therapists in the sector of medicine. By assessing the general condition of clients, patients would easily rely on dental providers for diagnostic services and monitory of healing progress after treatments are given (Gambhir et al., 2016). Thus, universal patient care, and not specialization in a narrow section of the health profession, forms the foundation of dentistry. It implies that not only fixing the damaged teeth should dental providers primarily major in, but their approach should also address systemic diseases intensely (Florio et al., 2017). The dentistry profession should broaden into evaluating health problems all over the human body and recommend effective remedies to circumvent the complications, just as clinical doctors do to their clients.
Historical Healthcare Overview
The theme “quality of life” dates back to the era of Herodotus in 450 BC when he visited Egypt. The strategies which were used by the Greek physician were more holistic and aimed at fulfilling overall wellness needs. The clinical practices encompassed entertainment sessions, which soothed the mind of patients from symptoms. At the same time, the clinician would evaluate the patient’s overall health, administer treatment, and monitor healing progress over time (Alzoubi & Attard, 2017). Recently, quality of life is the central focus of classical medicine and health research. Specifically, it is an issue tackled in primary care services and dental provision. The ultimate objective is to ensure that patient frees from clinical manifestations of infectious diseases and inflammations, which are either acute or chronic (Alzoubi & Attard, 2017). Thus, both physicians and dental providers must fulfill the health care demands of the public.
People initially perceived health as the absence of infection; however, it is defined as the wholeness of physical state, and individual’s wellbeing in social affairs and mind. Thus, holistic medicine is the instrument for medical practitioners and dental providers to help curb diseases and disorders challenging patients’ lives. By considering complete physical wellness and good thoughts as constituents of a healthy body, it is conceivable that oral therapy forms part of holistic medical treatment (Alzoubi & Attard, 2017). Therefore, the mouth cavity should be free from inflammations, infectious pathogens, and physical injuries that produce discomfort. The transition from ancient dentistry practices to the integration of oral health and primary care for maximum treatment outcomes makes overall wellness achievable (Simon, 2016). Thus, just as physicians’ objectives are, dental providers should tackle patients’ claims comprehensively.
The knowledge of human biology has translated the field of medicine and dental health provision. Through research in public health and medical remedies, the sustainability of human health to a state of complete wellness has been possible all over the world. Having known the association between wellness in the mouth cavity and systemic infections, it is the responsibility of dentists to fight tirelessly for human health. Both scientists and students in dental schools must be acquainted with the knowledge of disease epidemiology, molecular biology, and bioinformatics to evaluate clients comprehensively and determine public health demands (Alzoubi & Attard, 2017). Communicable and non-communicable diseases tamper with the oral cavity and produce destructive side effects all over the body. The impacts stem from toxins and by-products of pathogens’ metabolic activities, together with immune reactions due to physiological mediators. All the information and insights about medical care should be pooled for designing effective treatments for the complications. Moreover, the patients should be trained on how to manage the conditions at a personal level before worsening to require professional clinical interventions (Simon, 2016). Thus, dentists should be proactive in solving the overall health issues.
Increment in incorporating dental hygienists into a multi-disciplinary group of health workers has yielded a profound impact on the overall wellness of patients. However, the improvement in executing clinical practices as would be performed by dental surgeons is curtailed by the incapability of therapists. It implies that dentists’ presence and instructions are necessary to meet the demands of oral health services in underserved populations. Specifically, adults present with severe clinical complications that require the efforts of surgeons. However, the experts’ readiness to administer treatments, especially as part of the team, is low (Alzoubi & Attard, 2017). It denotes that dental providers are, at some point, failing in fulfilling the societal demands for treatment to ensure overall well-being. For instance, in nursing homes, the services of dental therapists are required, but inefficiency in delivering stems from the underutilization of dental care providers in the sector. Visiting dentists become the only option, leading to autonomy and the solo-practitioner trend in dentistry (Simon, 2016). Therefore, it is prudent to utilize the knowledge from the dentistry profession in handling patients and orienting them on how to take care of oral health.
It is deducible that quality of life is not only the responsibility of physicians and dentists, but a doctor of natural medicine has a pivotal role to fulfill holistic health demands. Even though it has been the trend that dental providers handle oral health management issues, it is necessary to advance the scope of practice to natural therapists. It would be easy to meet the health needs of society by becoming proactive in clinically handling patients. Since comprehensive health care service forms part of dental hygienists’ work, incorporating their activities in primary care and natural medicine would significantly impact the overall health when they perform systemic disease evaluation from the oral cavity. Moreover, the cost of consultation and the high expenses of hiring dentists in the emergency room would deplete (Simon, 2016). Thus, dentistry should align with natural medicine to help in sustaining the overall wellness of people in society.
Current Link between Education and Employment Type
The significance of oral health increases following its reflection of the overall health as it relates to systemic diseases. The progress in integrating oral health into primary care practices calls for an innovative approach of physicians and dentists in managing leadership roles in clinical procedures. Moreover, dentistry and medicine education should focus on fulfilling the specific needs of professionals in the fields, even as the move directs towards merging expertise in practice (Simon, 2016). Integrated education exists in some nations, especially in European countries where dentists graduate from medical schools before specializing in oral health care. Studies unveil that clinicians with dual degrees exhibit high performance as compared to colleagues with one dimension of specialization. In the United States, candidates in dental schools take courses in the school of medicine, primarily human anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology. Furthermore, dental education incorporates research and assessments to enhance practitioners’ competency upon graduation (Simon, 2016). It is through the integration of knowledge that dentists with advanced insights in medicine graduate to tackle multiple health issues in society.
A comprehensive evaluation of clients by dentists, especially individuals with chronic diseases, would effectively sustain the health care system. For instance, the cost of running diagnostic tests per patient in the United States reduces by 20 dollars when dentists are ensconced in primary care provision (Simon, 2016). It implies that elderly patients who are incapable of financing costly diagnostic procedures of chronic infections like heart diseases and cancers would get to the dentist for the same service. Through integrated education, dental providers get equipped to work in a setting that does not require conventional approaches, yet demands a lot of skills to handle patients. Mostly, the stations in which competencies and not modern medical care knowledge are required get occupied by a population of dentists less than 1 percent of the United States clinicians (Margolies et al., 2018). Therefore, academic medicine should be invested in, especially for the dentists, to enhance health care provision to vulnerable populations.
The demand for competencies in oral health and overall well-being evaluation is not limited to the dentists’ side. In the United States, physicians are given modules on oral health medicine while in school. The approach targets to equip the clinicians with insights relevant for managing diseases and inflammations in the mouth cavity (Margolies et al., 2018). Specifically, medical doctors are trained to examine and treat cancers and administer anesthesia for curbing orofacial pain. At some point, family medicine has incorporated teeth extraction as part of the clinical care; however, it is believed to be the dentists’ responsibility. The extension of dental care provision in medicine clearly states that clients should have immediate medical intervention upon seeking a doctor’s intervention (Simon, 2016). Dentists and oral health therapists also have the ultimate goal of meeting the demands of medical care, just as physicians and nurses do to address public health issues.
Integrated education is not only an avenue for enhancing professionals’ competence, but it is also a strategy to forecast more opportunities for overall health care services. Working as a team is significant and reflects on the accreditation of nursing, medicine, and dentistry. Through experiences from inter-professional clinical practices, skills are shared, which diversifies the understanding of medical practitioners (Simon, 2016). Therefore, dentistry and medical education should all focus on the importance of integration of oral health care services examining systemic infections. Inter-professional education imparts skills in both dentists and physicians; thus, the clients should have full medical diagnoses and treatments from oral health care providers. Dental care education and medical prescription should be given to patients after a comprehensive examination and treatment of the whole health issue (Margolies et al., 2018). It is conceivable that systemic diseases should be examined by dentists, and appropriate referrals are recommended after services.
Gaps in the Research
Education for physicians impedes the transformation in oral health care to meet the demands of systemic disease intervention. The forecast in medicine indicates that practitioners with an understanding of oral health have the potential for comprehensive medical examination and clinical care. Moreover, the necessity of counseling and dissemination of pamphlets guiding patients on dental hygiene would be fulfilled by physicians (Cohen, 2013). The clients are likely to manage any systemic complication which arises from poor oral hygiene after professional guidance. Furthermore, the new approach in health care encourages clients to be proactive in preventing or managing illnesses before growing to a complicated stage. Having the high demand for dental care providers in clinics and hospital wards, it is appropriate to bridge the gap of oral health medicine for physicians (Alzoubi & Attard, 2017). The strategy would enhance meeting the requirements of advice to patients and provide immediate medical intervention during clinical visits.
The dental profession has increased oral health care provision, which is its policy for handling emergencies even in the intensive care unit. Currently, there is inefficiency in oral health services in hospitals’ emergency departments and medical doctor offices. Majorly, the elderly patients within the underserved population are victims of dental service provision delays (Atchison & Weintraub, 2017). However, the direction taken by oral health service provision is towards solving the public health issues associated with the mouth cavity. Surprisingly, most dentists’ practices address matters of pediatric oral health and put minimal effort into adults’ oral health concerns (Cohen, 2013). Education and medical research should aim at mitigating the gap in dental care for adults, and inefficiency in providing oral health services in the hospital emergency departments.
Physicians, in their offices and hospital wards, handle cases from clients who are desperate for dental care. In the process, they get acquainted with the overall wellness and oral health complications in patients. However, it is the norm that patients deserve quality service, which diminishes the chances of visiting clinics for the same symptom. Such a level of health care provision saves clients from economic burden due to poor health (Cohen, 2013). Appropriate referrals for oral health services by clinicians would protect patients coming from underserved rural areas from the consequences of poor-quality treatment. The advancements to unite dentistry and medicine would be instrumental in alleviating the burden of chronic diseases. Merging oral health services and primary care entails reducing the disparities stemming from inequality in treating clients (Ghotane et al., 2017). Prospects in medical care should focus on sealing the gap brought by limited dentists-physician interactions.
Finance for dental care is a necessity, and governments should consider increasing it to minimize the cost of health care for the oral cavity. Approximately one billion dollars is spent in palliative dental care in the hospitals’ emergency departments, yet oral health treatments are not offered to patients. Unfortunately, dissatisfaction makes the clients seek assistance from primary care, which is not fully equipped to deal with complicated oral health issues. Financing oral health care is necessary to meet public health needs (Simon, 2016). Moreover, through the allocation of funds to drive activities of dentists and therapists, it becomes easy to collaborate with primary care in handling oral health cases.
Oral Health and Systemic Diseases
Oral Health Relates to Overall Health
Oral pathology is associated with systemic health conditions broadly. Periodontal infections like gingivitis, together with dental caries, are indicators of systemic health complications. Ubiquitous among the populations is caries. It stems from the synergistic activity of different microorganisms leading to the depletion of minerals in the enamel (Sippli et al., 2017). On the other hand, periodontitis is chronic and develops from inflammatory immune responses in the mouth cavity. The condition sustains the development of film of pathogenic bacteria on gingival tissues. The pathogens trigger immune reactions and eventually damage the jawbone and connective tissues (Bissett, 2018). As a result, destructions on the teeth occur, leading to extraction by dental experts.
Evidence demonstrates that oral health and systemic infections or disorders have a secured connection. Poor dental care leads to complications in the oral cavity. As a result, the intake of food and the health status of the mouth deteriorates. Specifically, indicators show that periodontal inflammations have a connection with type II diabetes, chronic cardiac complications, and arteriosclerosis. Moreover, ideas in medicine unveil that blood dyscrasias deteriorate the integrity of oral tissues (Bissett, 2018). It is conceivable that systemic diseases, which determine overall health, relate to the wellness of the oral cavity.
Periodontal Inflammation and Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a disease of the bones that progresses with age and is common among elderly people. It develops because of metabolic dysfunction and results in fragile bones and a reduction of their mass. Loss of bones drives the progression of periodontitis and inflammations, which are the attributes of osteoporosis. When osteoporosis depletes the mass of alveolar bone and tampers with periodontal tissues, teeth get weak and fall off. Moreover, characteristic redness and swelling in the gum tissues develop as well as systemic tooth loss (Sippli et al., 2017). The implication is that osteoporosis, which is a systemic disease, enhances the progression of oral health deterioration.
Arteriosclerosis and Periodontal Disease
The tapering of arteries from the infiltration of cholesterol mounts into a pathological and fatal condition called arteriosclerosis in the body. The complication yields coronary heart disease and stroke in some cases. The collapse of myocardial functions and brain attacks are associated with poor health of the oral cavity. Diseases stemming from periodontium inflammation lead to immune reactions that yield blood clots in the coronary arteries or within the cerebrovascular vessels. When the mouth consistently accumulates pathogenic bacterial endotoxins, heart diseases easily develop since some of the byproducts are adhesions molecules that block blood flow. Moreover, poor nutrition due to oral cavity inflammation allows for the excessive intake of large cholesterol quantities, which puts the heart and brain at risk (Glurich et al. 2018). Therefore, there is a secure link between the health of the oral cavity and arteriosclerosis.
Periodontal Diseases and Diabetes
Diabetes also relates to poor oral health in the body through the manifestation of the periodontium and gingival tissues’ inflammation. It results from the interruption of glycemic regulation due to insulin resistance or lack of production. The link between diabetes and periodontitis is a two-way round; interruption deteriorates oral health and vice versa. Individuals are living with diabetes mellitus, type 1 and 2, exhibit detachment of periodontium cases (Alpert 2017). Moreover, the inflammation stemming from the gingival tissues is easy to manage through the proper treatment of the patients’ hyperglycemic conditions. Deep gingival depressions are mostly found in diabetic patients. According to Alpert (2017), three-quarters of patients with complications in glycemic control have periodontal inflammatory conditions. Periodontal inflammation produced complications in the oral cavity leading to disruption of nutrition for body maintenance. Consequently, the body’s physiology is tampered with and insulin resistance develops with time (Glurich et al., 2018). The progression of diabetes mellitus in the body reflects through the oral integrity of periodontium health. It is conceivable that oral health relates to systemic health conditions which are chronic upon manifestation.
Immunodeficiency and Oral Health
The infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) leads to systemic downregulation of body defense mechanisms. Consequently, an array of pathogens establishes opportunistic infections leading to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). One of the complications arising from AIDS is inflammation of the periodontium (Chapple & Hamburger, 2018). Moreover, disease like oral candidiasis develops together with sore throats following different pathogens invading the mouth cavity. Malignant complications like necrotizing peritonitis and gingivitis, which have characteristic ulcerous lesions are attributes of HIV infection. The inflammation developing from immune reactions that tamper with the epithelial membrane of the mouth cavity upon infection by HIV is an indicator of systemic infection. The evaluation of a patient’s well-being should begin with the oral examination (Chapple & Hamburger, 2018). It is because the status of oral health relates to both communicable and non-communicable systemic diseases.
Patients Would Be Better Served if both Medical and Oral Were Integrated
The relationship of oral health to systemic complications and illnesses forms a strong argument and backbone for the integration of dentistry and medicine. Ensuring patient wellness requires systemic, holistic, and oral health service provision, which ensconces diverse professions for effective medical care. Infectious diseases attack the oral cavity, and at times become a lifetime condition in an individual (Sippli et al., 2017). According to the World Health Organization (2010), it is appropriate for providers of health services to collaborate in maximizing efforts for better treatment outcomes. Bridging the link between oral cavity diseases and systemic illnesses requires merging dental and medical services to produce a comprehensive approach to treating patients. Thus, it is relevant to implement the “inter-professional collaborative practice” strategy towards achieving patients’ high-quality health status (Atchison & Weintraub, 2017). Oral health care should be ensconced in primary care service providers to obtain useful diagnostic and medication results.
Integration of Oral Health Care and Medicine
Infections in the mouth cavity are associated with systemic illnesses that are either acute or chronic and at times tamper with pregnancy. Moreover, complications in the oral cavity disrupt mastication, speech, and even sleeping comfort. It is, therefore, necessary to centralize resources and labor in health service provision to attain the anticipated overall wellness of patients (Atchison & Weintraub, 2017). It is prudent to follow the bidirectional link of oral health to systemic diseases and merge primary care and dentistry in serving patients. Inflammation of the periodontium and gingival tissues tampers with diverse systems in the human body. In addition, hypo-salivation yields dental caries and disorders in the cognitive responses (Sippli et al., 2017). Addressing the health conditions highlighted require inputs from both the primary care and dental providers in giving remedies.
The integration of dentistry and medicine in health care provision is possible through the implementation of multiple approaches in handling patients. It is important to note is that serving patients can be coordinated in diverse places at different times. In situations where combined efforts are not pivotal for well-being, the most appropriate health care professionals should handle the patient (Atchison & Weintraub, 2017). Through coordination of finances, the integration of oral health care and medicine would diminish costly expenses for quality treatments. Sourcing for oral health services by dental providers in the emergency sections in hospitals is expensive. It puts lives at stake, especially when the patients have no dental care insurance coverage (Harnagea et al., 2017). However, the coordination of activities between dentistry and medical professionals would save lives at affordable costs.
Significance of Integration of Oral health in Overall Health Care Services
The integration of oral health services in primary care entails overlapping dentists’ roles in medicine and vice versa. The team of primary care providers has the responsibility of assessing the health status of the mouth cavity and making referrals for a dental examination. Conversely, the dentist determines the possibility of systemic infections or illnesses and refers patients to primary care. In the process of working together, the physicians and dentists can recommend patients on where to seek reliable treatment (Atchison & Weintraub, 2017). The overall outcome of coordinating oral health and general medical care provision is good treatment results. Moreover, through recommendations, the patients are put to a rapid response system of clinicians and dentists, thereby managing acute infections on time. Moreover, the chances of extending preventive-dental care and patient self-management programs to general medical care increases (Joskow, 2016). The implication is that the integration of dentistry and medicine in handling patients elevates the standards of service delivery and yields effective treatment outcomes.
Integrated Health Would Benefit if Blood Work and Saliva are done at Dentist’s Office
Blood is the body tissue comprising a large volume of water and cells with diverse functions to sustain the body’s physiology. The homeostatic balance within the body heavily relies on the physiological parameters and activities within the blood. Thus, the blood acts as the determinant of the overall health status of an individual. Within the blood are the cells of the immune system and proteins the have roles in the body’s defense against infectious agents (Bain, 2017). Detection of pathogenic microorganisms in the body and inflammatory responses heavily bank on the reactions by the white blood cells. The number of leukocytes, their ratios in relation to the blood volume, and concentrations of proteins they secret are vital in diagnosing systemic health complications. Oral health relates to the overall wellness of the body from both a holistic and systemic perspective (Matthews et al., 2020). Therefore, evaluation of health conditions by dentists would also be relevant through blood sampling for confirmatory purposes.
Saliva is a secretion consisting of electrolytes and macromolecules that flows from the oral cavity glands. It plays a significant role in nourishing the teeth and mucosal lining of the mouth. Generally, saliva sustains a homeostatic environment in the mouth, which protects the teeth and lubricates the oral cavity mucosa (Edgar et al., 2012). The mouth is on the verge of the digestive system, which makes it easy to obtain saliva whenever there is a need. Following advancements in biomedical and clinical research, evidence unveils that saliva has an impact on overall health. Considering outcomes of bioanalytical approaches using proteomics technologies, saliva reflects overall human health in holistic and systemic perspectives (Edgar et al., 2012). Thus, samples of saliva are instrumental in diagnosing systemic diseases in both acute and chronic phases.
The exploitation of saliva as a fluid for examining infectious diseases and the detection of periodontal inflammations is a promising health monitoring strategy. The advancements in immunology and microbiological techniques and principles direct that antibodies against infectious agents are detectable in the saliva (Roi et al., 2019). For instance, HIV detection is achievable using antibodies as biomarkers and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) as the principal technique. Moreover, in the concepts of hematology and oncology, neutrophils are detectable in the saliva of cancer patients having blood complications. The determination of neutrophils in the saliva occurs two to three days earlier than it reflects from hematological analysis (Roi et al., 2019). It occurs mainly when a patient is under chemotherapy or after transplantation of bone marrow for cancer treatment.
The link between periodontal inflammations and systemic diseases that stem from the disorientation of metabolic activities is strong. For instance, clients with oxidative stress exhibit elevated levels of self-reactive proteins. The case is typical in individuals suffering from periodontitis and metabolic syndrome. It implies that periodontal diseases managed by dental providers connect directly to circulatory and immunologically significant proteins in the body (Alpert, 2017). The integration of medicine and dentistry for better patient treatment would be useful when professionals in both sectors of health handle blood and saliva samples in their offices. Appropriate recommendations can be given to clients who are patent for treatment referrals. Moreover, accurate diagnosis attainment requires oral health providers’ commitment to evaluate the overall health status of a patient (Glurich et al., 2018). It would be vital to ensure that treatment is not given partially by dentists, leaving incomplete client’s healing because medical experts are not engaged in the process.
Integration of oral health in primary care unveils an opportunity for general practitioners to drive an innovative workforce and refine their skills to benefit patients. The skills and competencies that are instrumental in transforming diverse sectors within health care providers would be helpful in dentistry practice as well. As usual, the integration of health services patterns exhibits similarities irrespective of the issues addressed by the clinical teams merging their efforts (Atchison & Weintraub, 2017). It implies that, just as it works with pharmacy, optical care, and behavioral medicine services, the dental provision incorporation would consequently yield expectations of the overall health. Moreover, the oral health programs in the field, including testing, have revealed avenues to make improvements towards attaining total patients’ wellness. The extension of skills in managing population health is likely to be effective in treating chronic diseases and inflammations (Glurich et al., 2018). Thus, the integration of oral health in primary care is necessary for improving the outcome of patients’ overall health and achieving success in both dental provision and primary care.
General Health Care and Dentistry
Patients Present Daily with Issues Perceivable as General Health Concerns
The health problems which initiate patients to seek medical care cut across the field of medicine and dentistry. Acute dental pain always stimulates the need for assistance from medical experts by the victims. Often the clients appear in the emergency sections of the hospital when dental providers are not easy to allocate (Maxey et al., 2017). When there is severe dental pain, medical doctors can manage it, save for the cases when the client experiences spreading paralysis from the condition. In some cases, the patient might present bleeding gums or sockets of the teeth. Upon the recommendation of proper dental hygiene and prescription of drugs, homeostasis maintenance gets achieved (Jin et al., 2016). In some instances, the oral-facial pain is manageable by neurosurgeons who support the dental experts who have insights on the medical issue. Thus, medical doctors can manage dental problems just as dentists would do to help sustain the health of a patient.
Dental providers and medical practitioners manage common symptoms in the oral cavity that reflects on the patient’s systemic health. Swelling is one of the conditions dealt with by professionals in both health sectors. After surgical operations, approximately three days are taken for tissues to swell to the maximum level (Maxey et al., 2017). Treatment and health care services given to patients who have swollen spots in the oral cavity may require the attention of a dentist or medical doctor. Moreover, after surgical operations, appropriate instructions, and frequent monitory of progress in recovery are vital for an effective outcome of the healing process. In most instances, the edema on the oral airways is recommendable to be managed by dental surgeons who have expertise in handling mouth cavity complications. However, the crisis may call for medical practitioners’ attention to apply corticosteroids in managing the condition (Stuart et al., 2017). The implication is that what a general health practitioner would do to save a patient is possible with a dentist.
Infections by pathogens are an issue that requires the services of both dental providers and primary care practitioners. Most invasive microorganisms yield diseases in humans that manifest symptoms in the oral cavity. Thus, collaboration or integration of dentistry and medical professions in handling patients is a necessity for effective treatment outcomes. In the case of surgical operation in the oral cavity, antibiotics administration is appropriate to inhibit the colonization of the operating point by pathogens (Stuart et al., 2017). Specifically, the application of antimicrobial drugs is recommendable for patients who have suppressed immunity to infections, for instance, clients managing diabetes or cancer. Abscesses that develop from systemic diseases manifesting in the oral cavity demand the same skills in both patients and medical doctors to treat. Periodontitis and gingivitis, which require mostly the attention of dental providers, are manageable by primary care physicians using antibiotics (Jin et al., 2016). Therefore, it is clear that systemic infections overlap into the oral cavity through symptoms, making the cases common across medicine and dentistry.
The broader perspective of human oral health issues indicates that general body wellness begins within the mouth. Moreover, infectious microorganisms develop diseases that exhibit overlap in symptoms manifestation. The implication is that handling a clinical condition in medical clients requires the same dentistry skills as it is in primary care (Stuart et al., 2017). Basically, only as systemic infections manifest into adverse complications in patients, so is the same way oral health becomes an overall health problem. The management of pain, swelling, inflammations and infections in the oral cavity exhibits the same principle applies in handling systemic infections (Stuart et al., 2017). Therefore, it is conceivable that addressing oral health challenges and systemic diseases to the point of patients’ absolute wellness requires a general knowledge of physicians and dentists.
Merging oral health services into primary medical care helps towards achieving clients’ needs, which are still not yet fulfilled. The attainment of the wholeness of individuals’ health requires incorporating mouth cavity treatments into routine primary care. Through that, it would be simple to manage clinical complications and be accountable for treatment progress by physicians (Glurich et al., 2018). Accessibility of patients to medical professionals would also be easy. The most vulnerable populations in society, like pregnant women and children, can be successfully put to appropriate remedies. Moreover, the practicality of services given to patients with diabetes and HIV/AIDS can have its implementation on other patients who present with similar issues. Moreover integrating oral health into primary care enhances early monitory and detection of dental complications (Stuart et al., 2017). Through assessment and screening of the oral cavity condition, the overall wellness would not require advanced services to curb the health challenges. Specifically, special services arrangements for patients and their families would become a matter requiring simple strategies and procedures to undertake in the public (Joskow, 2016). Through the integration of primary care and oral health, appropriate and reliable treatments can be given to patients for the accomplishment of overall health demands.
Pharmacology is the Reason behind Dentistry and Medicine Division
Dentistry originated as trade within the United States and was not regulated by commercial policies. However, upon the establishment of medicine and surgery, dentistry was transformed into a scientific discipline with clinical practices to improve peoples’ health. Most of the old dental schools had support from the departments of medicine in the United States. The development of distinct lines of profession between dentistry and medicine aided the progress in oral health care (Simon, 2016). Naturopathy became an independent profession involving holistic examination and administration of natural remedies in treating patients. For instance, students in medical schools would be taught the general evaluation of an individual’s health status and natural approaches to mitigate clinical complications. It implies that the nature of dental practice and medical administration follow distinct approaches in addressing the patients’ needs. The services are given to clients presenting clinical symptoms by physicians who usually rely on pharmaceutical products. Antibiotics and corticosteroids constitute the drugs administered in primary care to remedy health complications (Mallya & Shenoy, 2016). However, dentistry ventures deeply into surgical operations like tooth extraction. Thus, pharmacology acts as the hallmark of separation between dentistry and medicine.
Health insurance services enhance the division between dental care and general medical treatments. Majorly, medical insurance is a strategy to attain secure clinical service even by financially disadvantaged individuals. However, the policy comes in because of over expenditure by patients in buying drugs and medical apparatus like needles, all of which are pharmaceutical industry products (Eachempati et al., 2016). Even though dentistry has been successful as a professional discipline, insurance or public funding has not been part of the financial plan in oral health care. Hospitals have enrolled in patient care through the insurance system, which leads to commercial operations independent of dentistry strategies. Besides, oral health practitioners find it simple to hand-fund and allocate the appropriate to run the whole business as a private sector in the field of health care (Mallya & Shenoy, 2016). The purchase of pharmaceutical products via a programmed finance system makes the distinction between dental practice and medical care.
The promotion of preventive care against diseases also distinguishes holistic health care from dental services. The approaches in the diagnosis and treatment of infections in natural medicine are driven by intense bioscience research and pharmacology. Constitutively, products from medicinal plants form part of the pharmacological remedies heavily utilized in holistic medicine. However, dentistry also uses the same products, only for advanced cases of infections or inflammations (Simon, 2016). Being the health discipline with heavy consumption of drugs, professionals perceive that overall health heavily relies on the treatments by physicians. On the contrary, comprehensive patients’ evaluation by dentists shows that examination and administration of medication by oral health care providers would substantially remedy the systemic health complication. The division between dentists and doctors of natural medicine in handling patients should, therefore, not exist (Eachempati et al., 2016). The research in medicine should incorporate the insights from oral health providers and medical doctors to ensure that overall well-being is attained upon the treatment of patients.
Conclusion
Thus, we, as dental providers, have a high duty to understand and care for patients in their oral and overall health. There are many aspects of overall health indicators in the oral cavity to help evaluate patients before being diagnosed. Underlying diseases such as diabetes, heart diseases, arthritis, and asthma can be examined and treatment referrals can be made by dentists. The historical separation of medicine from dentistry follows the fact that physicians rely heavily on pharmaceutical drugs to solve health complications. However, the profession of dentistry and natural medicine encompasses comprehensive health care administration, implying that clinicians can manage a patient from the two disciplines. Integration of oral health into primary care is a strategy to circumvent the adverse complications from diseases, and inefficiency of treatment services due to limited skilled personnel. Merging dentistry and holistic medicine, therefore, is a promising strategy for ensuring active recovery from illnesses and overall treatment outcomes. Therefore, we, as dental hygienists and dentists, need advocates to help establish a new and modern way of looking at the benefit of the patient and not the money-making pharmacology benefits.
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