By: Dimaris Torres Agosto, MPHE, CHES
Provider Education Department

Oral health is interrelated with the overall health of your patients and is essential to promote it from the primary health scenario. To achieve this, It is recommended:

• Do a risk assessment to identify factors that affect oral and overall health of the patient.

• Evaluate the oral health of the patient to obtain subjective and objective data, as well as keep in mind the risk assessment and oral examination.

• Conduct educational interventions and identify strategies to address oral health needs identified in the patient.

• Create health education and communication experiences that allow the patient to understand the interrelationship between oral health and overall health, including associated problems, the effect of nutrition, and preventive measures to reduce the risk of oral health problems.

• Establish collaborative professional practice to share responsibilities and provide support for decrease patient risk factors and ensure optimal outcomes in oral health care.

Reference:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration, (2014).