Good oral care deserves to be better integrated into primary care

Abstract

Oral and general health are inextricable. In primary care, the fields of care by general practioners, youth healthcare, healthcare for older people and oral care are all distinctly separated. Healthcare professionals are increasingly confronted with the complexity and increase in Noncommunicable diseases (NCD's) and an aging population. The aetiology of NCD's in primary care concern the professional fields of all healthcare professionals mentioned, meaning that lifestyle-related risks might be prevented more effectively through collaboration. In primary care, the number of medically compromised people is on the rise and healthcare professionals encounter each other's patients, whose risks remain invisible to them. Through collaboration such problems could be faced more effectively. Better integration of oral care into primary care can also contribute to the quality of care and safety of care receivers, and reduce further inequality. In order to better design this integration with the help of innovation, more practicebased research and implementation is needed.