Dental Hygienists Should Be Essential Primary Care Providers, Says ADHA

The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) is pleased that Health Affairs recognizes the enormous impact oral health has on the overall public health system in the U.S. by devoting an entire issue to the subject. ADHA has long advocated evidence-based oral health management strategies for the prevention of oral and systemic diseases.

In fact, ongoing research efforts are underway examining the association between periodontal (gum) disease and heart and lung disease, diabetes, premature, low birth weight babies and many other conditions. The 2000 Surgeon General’s report, Oral Health in America, called attention to this association and stated that, if left untreated, poor oral health is a “silent Xfactor promoting the onset of life-threatening diseases which are responsible for the deaths of millions of Americans each year.”

As such, the ADHA believes that integrating dental hygienists into the healthcare delivery system as essential primary care providers to expand access to oral health care will help improve the public’s overall health. This is why proper dental hygiene diagnosis is critical in identifying and treating early risk factors for more serious health concerns. Over the past two decades, we have collaborated with New York Center for Health Workforce Studies (CHWS) and School of Public Health at the State University of New York-Albany (SUNY) to update the Dental Hygiene Professional Index (DHPPI).

To view the full story, please visit: http://newswise.com/articles/statement-from-the-american-dental-hygienists-association-on-the-importance-of-oral-health

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