Dentech discussion centers on dental-medical connections
Panelists at ADA Forsyth summit agree oral health linked to overall health
During a discussion on dental-medical integration Oct. 9 at ADA Forsyth dentech 2025, the panelists agreed: Oral health care is essential and linked to overall health.
Panelist Wenyuan Shi, Ph.D., CEO of the ADA Forsyth Institute, said scientists, like those at the institute, can provide solid evidence of the connection between oral and overall health, but the challenge is taking the next step with that information.
“Beating the drum is easy. Really, the question is about how we get the real action,” Dr. Shi said.
David Kochman, senior vice president and chief corporate affairs officer for Henry Schein, said the public should consider their dental visit as the gateway to health care.
“That’s where you’re going year after year, as long as you don’t have an acute or chronic condition,” he said.
ADA President Brett Kessler, D.D.S., the moderator of the panel, said medical benefits plans do not recognize the connection between oral and overall health.
“We know that every dollar that we invest in periodontal care in a [person with difficult-to-manage diabetes] will save $4 on the medical side,” Dr. Kessler said. “We know that, but yet, medicine, medical benefits don’t recognize that.”
He said addressing access-to-care issues will be key in ensuring dentistry is considered essential health care.
“In this country right now, is health care a privilege or is it a right?” Dr. Kessler said. “Health care is a right; oral health care is a privilege. If you have money, you can access dentistry. If you don’t, you can’t. That’s the bottom line. If we are going to be essential, that has to be included.”
If patients feel like they have coverage, they will go to the dentist, he said.
“But the [dental] benefit plan, as we’ve said, it has not met up with the needs of the profession. It worked for us for a long time — it worked really well — but it’s not working anymore; we all know that,” Dr. Kessler said.
Other panelists included Azeem Mallick, vice president of Enterprise Strategic Partners at CareQuest Institute for Oral Health; Edward Shellard, D.M.D., CEO of United Concordia Dental; and Stephen Thorne IV, founder and CEO of PDS Health.
ADA Forsyth dentech took place Oct. 9-10 at the ADA Forsyth Institute in Somerville, Massachusetts. For more from the event, visit forsyth.org/dentech.
