North Carolina AHEC Program
summer 2009 newsletter | home
Dentistry and Medicine Interface: An AHEC Quality Improvement Project
The North Carolina AHEC Program is participating in a new quality improvement initiative to improve patient care and reduce risk for dental practices by implementing a more thorough patient examination and health history review. This new initiative will begin with a pilot project conducted by Northwest AHEC and the department of dentistry at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Pam Hunt, RDH, director of continuing dental education with Northwest AHEC and the department of dentistry, is conducting the pilot testing in 12 dental offices throughout North Carolina from May through August 2009.
During the pilot testing, dentists will complete a newly designed patient history and screening form on new patients during their initial examination. At this examination, dentists will screen for and review: 1. prescription drug use and interactions; 2. blood pressure; 3. diabetes risk assessment; 4. tobacco product use; 5. patient identified dental concerns; 6. head & neck pathology; and 7. oral cancer. The dentists will also generate referrals/consultations to physicians and other dentists based on their findings. All information from the screening forms will then be recorded into a data base for analysis.
Based on the pilot analysis, dentists will be educated statewide through continuing education programs regarding updates/changes to their current medical history forms, referral/consultation protocols, and overall clinical examination processes. One important goal of this project, from a dental and medical interface perspective, is to identify dental patients that may need referrals to their physicians regarding medical concerns, i.e., diabetes risk, blood pressure issues, etc.
Although the pilot testing will conclude in August 2009, North Carolina dental offices will benefit from the project findings as the program unfolds statewide in 2010. Pam Hunt can be reached at (336) 716-2162 or by email for questions or more information.