The Importance of Interprofessional Dental Care in the Community in the United States

Abstract

There is a growing sense of urgency to address the oral health needs in the United States. The increased burden of oral diseases is compounded by the lack of access to dental care, including the lack of adequate providers to treat the underserved and disadvantaged population, leading to an exponential use of the emergency department for nontraumatic dental conditions. Strategies need to focus on the inadequacies of the current U.S. oral health care system not only to prevent and treat oral diseases but also to reduce oral health disparities. Several studies have underscored the need for collaborative efforts and community partnerships to improve oral health care access for the disadvantaged population. Public health as well as institutions in charge of professional training should implement innovative strategies that address barriers to increasing access to dental care through organized community efforts. Community-based learning and interprofessional collaboration are key strategies proposed by international and national organizations to address these concerns. Opportunities for extramural rotations are now provided by dental schools to all dental students and trainees to fulfill the Commission on Dental Accreditation's requirement of community-based learning. Community partnerships with academia can help improve access to dental care and increase the efficacy and efficiency between dental and primary care professionals for better integration and care coordination. In this article, the authors reviewed policy statements and position papers of health care agencies as well as the scientific literature on interprofessional dental education and collaborative practice in the community. Working with multidisciplinary teams, dental providers can provide distinctive insights and can add value to the team. With appropriate interprofessional education and practice in communities, robust community-academic partnerships can be built. The future health care workforce can address the needs of the diverse and ever-evolving patient population to prevent, diagnose, and treat oral and systemic diseases.Knowledge Transfer Statement:This article will help dental students, trainees, and academicians understand the issues related to access to dental care and how collaborative partnerships in the community, including interprofessional dental education and care, can help alleviate this problem.

Keywords: access to dental care; community-based dental centers; community–academic partnership; disadvantaged populations; interprofessional dental education; oral health disparities.