Oral Health Integration Into Primary Health Care

Oral health is integral to overall health and quality of life. The oral healthcare delivery system fails to reach high-priority populations, resulting in large disparities for marginalized groups (Prasad et al., 2019). The Harrow Family Health Team suspects there is a gap in access to oral care in the Harrow community, prompting the development of a preventative oral health program at Harrow Health Centre. I conducted a literature review to support the development of the program and to review best practices for implementation. Primarily, literature from 2010 to present were accessed and reviewed through Google Scholar, ESCBOhost, PubMed Central, and Scholars Portal. The search terms used were oral health, oral health care, oral care, integration, primary health care, and primary care. The literature review revealed that primary health care teams spanning urban and rural centres report an association between the oral health needs of priority populations and their professional roles (Harnagea et al., 2018). Primary care providers are the initial contacts in the healthcare system for many; therefore, they’re key figures in making oral preventative care more accessible (Hummel et al., 2015). These findings suggest that the integration of oral health into primary care supports positive patient outcomes and should be considered to increase accessibility. In my proposed oral presentation, I will discuss the integration of oral health care into primary care as a strategy to improve health outcomes and best practices for development and implementation