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. 2015 Mar;105(3):437-41.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302495. Epub 2015 Jan 20.

Putting the mouth back in the head: HEENT to HEENOT

Judith Haber  1 , Erin Hartnett, Kenneth Allen, Donna Hallas, Caroline Dorsen, Julia Lange-Kessler, Madeleine Lloyd, Edwidge Thomas, Dorothy Wholihan
Affiliations

Putting the mouth back in the head: HEENT to HEENOT

Judith Haber et al. Am J Public Health. 2015 Mar.

Abstract

Improving oral health is a leading population health goal; however, curricula preparing health professionals have a dearth of oral health content and clinical experiences. We detail an educational and clinical innovation transitioning the traditional head, ears, eyes, nose, and throat (HEENT) examination to the addition of the teeth, gums, mucosa, tongue, and palate examination (HEENOT) for assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of oral-systemic health. Many New York University nursing, dental, and medical faculty and students have been exposed to interprofessional oral health HEENOT classroom, simulation, and clinical experiences. This was associated with increased dental-primary care referrals. This innovation has potential to build interprofessional oral health workforce capacity that addresses a significant public health issue, increases oral health care access, and improves oral-systemic health across the lifespan.

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Comment in

  • Equipping the physician assistant workforce to end oral health disparities.
    Lord CB. Lord CB. Am J Public Health. 2015 May;105(5):e3. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2015.302632. Epub 2015 Mar 19. Am J Public Health. 2015. PMID: 25790406 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
  • Haber et al. respond.
    Haber J, Hartnett E, Allen K, Hallas D, Dorsen C, Lange-Kessler J, Lloyd M, Thomas E, Wholihan D. Haber J, et al. Am J Public Health. 2015 May;105(5):e3-4. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2015.302648. Epub 2015 Mar 19. Am J Public Health. 2015. PMID: 25790420 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

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