National Action Framework for Medical-Dental Integration – Partner Engagement Meeting

On May 03, 2023, KDHRC co-hosted a day-long meeting in Atlanta, Georgia with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Oral Health. The goal of the meeting was to identify a core set of objectives and actions that will lead to increased medical-dental integration (MDI) and support for whole-person integrated care.

In the United States, medical and dental fields have historically been siloed with separate professional programs, payers, and practices. There is a growing opportunity for interprofessional education and collaboration in public health settings and healthcare systems that serve vulnerable populations who may have unmet oral health and/or unmet chronic disease prevention and control needs, particularly individuals with multiple chronic conditions. Medical-dental integration has the potential to accelerate oral health equity and care coordination that will improve chronic disease management and overall health throughout patients’ lives.

The partner engagement meeting coincided with the one-year anniversary of the virtual MDI Framework convening that contributed to the foundation of the MDI National Action Framework. Sixty-five attendees with a broad range of subject matter expertise participated in facilitated breakout sessions that aimed to identify realistic objectives and activities that could increase MDI engagement nationally in the next 3-5 years. The meeting attendees brought a lot of excitement about the future of MDI. KDHRC will use the meeting findings to contribute to a Framework for Action report. Check out the recap of the meeting here: Meeting Summary