The need for effective interprofessional collaboration between nutrition and dentistry

Abstract

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There are bidirectional relationships between diet and nutrition, systemic health and oral health. Diet and nutrition are fundamental to the prevention and management of chronic diseases. Systemic health can impact oral health. And oral health can influence diet and nutrition. The 2020 Surgeon General’s Report “Oral Health in America” stated that nutrition is an integral factor in the development of oral disease and health overall. Within the medical model, Registered Dietitians have been impactful members of a multidisciplinary team by providing medical nutrition therapy and nutritional counseling to reduce the development and management of chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Despite the well-established collaboration and the role nutrition plays in health outcomes, there is limited documented collaboration between nutrition and dentistry. The purpose of this paper is to review the current evidence of nutritional counseling in oral health settings compared to the medical model, identify specific challenges, and suggest possible next steps for collaboration. The intended outcome of this paper will be to provide the reader with insight about the need to integrate nutrition into both oral health education and clinical practice to address prevalent chronic diseases and increase health equity for those at high risk.

Keywords

• nutrition
• oral health
• interprofessional education
• collaborative care practice
• education
• registered dietitian nutritionist