As 2023 begins, health care providers in the United States must make health records more easily available or risk losing Medicare funding under the 21st Century Cures Act. While this is a win for patients, providers, and researchers, the legislation’s failure to include dental care ignores the crucial link between oral health and overall health.
As the co-founder and CEO of a technology cloud platform for dental electronic health records, I have seen firsthand how the dental industry is evolving to help patients better access their own data and connect providers across disciplines. To close health care gaps, support the rapid consolidation of dental data, and truly empower patients, future efforts to legislate health care data must include the dental industry.
For too long, policymakers and the public have treated dental care as almost optional despite the fact that dental providers can detect signs of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, lupus, eating disorders, and more, demonstrating the interconnectedness of oral health and overall health.
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