Oral Health Integration Overview

Oral health is an important part of overall health. It can reflect health or disease that may be present in the rest of the body. In addition, oral health complications can worsen health conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes. The impacts of poor oral health can contribute to chronic pain, missed school days, and inappropriate use of emergency departments.

Oregon’s health system transformation efforts have focused on preventive care, treating the whole person and care coordination among providers. Oral health is a key part of this equation, and OHA is working to ensure good oral health for all Oregonians.

Reports and resources

COVID-19 resources for dentists and dental hygienists

Environmental scan and toolkit

An environmental scan was conducted of local and national efforts toward oral health integration, including extensive interviews to assess current transformation efforts. The report below includes recommendations for strategic approaches to further integration, and the oral health toolkit includes resources for supporting oral health integration in Oregon.

• Oral Health Integration in Oregon: Environmental Scan and Recommendations
• Oral Health Toolkit: Resources for Supporting Oral Health Integration in Oregon

Member and provider materials

The Transformation Center coordinated the development of messages and materials to increase awareness among Oregon Health Plan (OHP) members and their providers on the importance of preventive dental care and to encourage members to use their dental benefits. The goal of these materials is to help members and their providers understand that:

• Dental health is a key component of overall health and well-being
• OHP members have dental coverage and what their benefits are
• How OHP members can access dental care

Access the dental coverage awareness toolkit