In an ongoing collaboration between Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research (CHR) and Permanente Dental Associates’ Dr. Dan Pihlstrom, a study recently published in the Journal of
American Dental Association (JADA) found that patients 65 and older who had a dental visit at a dental office offering some medical services were 1.5 times more likely to have their medical care gaps closed (preventive and disease management medical care) compared to a similar population who had dental care at a non-Medical-Dental Integrated (MDI) setting.
“This is the first study publication that specifically calls out care gap closure,” says Dr. Pihlstrom. “This contributes to the body of evidence, building a stronger case for MDI.”
Previous publications have studied the potential for improvement of overall health associated with receiving dental care where dentists have access to a patient’s electronic health record and care history, acting as another touchpoint in an integrated health care system reminding patients of overdue preventive or disease management care.