What Every Physician at the Cleveland HeartLab Symposium Wishes You Knew Dr. Dan Sindelar, DMD

There’s a new medical/dental model occurring, and it’s all about inflammation reduction. Just a few weeks ago I was one of two dentists who attended the Cleveland HeartLab Symposium in Dallas. As always, the presentations were geared to cardiologists and other preventive medicine specialists, and once again I was thrilled at the emphasis on oral health at a medical symposium. Here are the three major takeaways I got from the symposium:
Here are the three major takeaways I got from the symposium:
1. Healthcare reform is here to stay. As I mention in my report on the Affordable Care Act, we are all now transitioning from volume-based care to value-based care. Simply put, it pays to have healthier patients with fewer treatment complications. Medical professionals now know and understand this, so they want to collaborate inflammatory testing with those healthcare professionals that improve their care and outcomes.
2. Inflammation testing is the future of healthcare. The treatment presentations at these events now include a call out for medical professionals to not overlook the mouth as a source of inflammation and increasing levels of inflammatory markers. One case study showed that MPO was lowered by addressing oral inflammation alone.
3. There is an army of preventive medical professionals looking for dental professionals like YOU! I can’t tell you how often I’ve been approached by physicians asking, “Where can I find a dentist in my town that understands oral-systemic health?” It’s remarkable how ready the medical profession is to jump on board. They want to send you their patients. They need you to understand microbial burden and how to address it to prevent & treat inflammatory disease.

Drs. Larry Greenblatt, Dan Sindelar, and Lee Ostler
So what does every physician involved in this movement wish you knew? How much they WANT to coordinate care with dentists who GET IT. Physicians are in a period of transition into a new era of value-based medicine—a place the dental profession already knows well. They will not be paid very well unless they get great outcomes. Oral health must be taken off the table—period.
Obviously, I’m not saying good oral health is the only way to reduce all of our bodies’ inflammation and improve all medical outcomes. But if the dental team doesn’t take oral health off the table, we’ll have compromised physician care, diminished healthcare outcomes, and increased healthcare costs.
Facts:
• Inflammation is the number one cause of death, and oral inflammation is the number one source of inflammation in humans.
• Oral inflammation plays a key role in overall inflammation and inflammatory disease.
• Dental professionals are in charge of reducing oral inflammation.
It’s as simple as this: Get trained on advanced oral inflammation reduction or get left behind.
What kind of experiences have you had in coordinating care with physicians? Have you found resistance in your local healthcare community? Please share your stories below.

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