Oral Health and Diabetes: Interprofessional Coordination of Patient-Centered Care
Preface
- Thomas H. Morton Jr., DDS, MSD, Guest Editor and
- Beatrice K. Gandara, DDS, MSD, Guest Editor
As clinicians who diagnose and treat oral conditions associated with systemic diseases and prescribe the medications used to treat these diseases, we are well aware of the oral changes that are observed in patients with diabetes. We experience firsthand the difficulty communicating to other health care providers about the impact of related oral changes on the management of diabetes. With more than 60 years of combined clinical diagnosis and treatment experience between us, we welcomed the challenge of being guest editors for this Diabetes Spectrum From Research to Practice section on “Oral Health and Diabetes: Interprofessional Coordination of Patient-Centered Care.”
Recognition of the end-organ impact of diabetes on cardiovascular and renal health, peripheral circulation, and eye pathology has led to coordination of care for diabetic patients between primary care physicians, cardiologists, podiatrists, and ophthalmologists. Substantial evidence now supports the importance of integrating oral health care, particularly periodontal care, into standard diabetes disease management.
This necessitates coordination of care between medical and dental care providers. However, oral …
