This new dental-medical practice will allow patients to be assessed and treated with the oral-systemic link in mind.
Pacific Dental Services (PDS) has announced the opening of its Sahara Health Group, a new medical-dental integrated practice in Las Vegas, NV. It’s owned and led by Elena Garcia, MD, and will practice in Sahara Modern Dentistry. This group began operations Tuesday, April 5, and aims to tackle the Mouth-Body ConnectionÒas described by PDS in a press release.
“As leaders in the industry, Pacific Dental Services has long advocated for closer collaboration between dental and medical professionals to improve health outcomes for patients,” Founder and CEO of PDS Stephen E. Thorne IV said in the press release. “This unique partnership is another important step towards establishing integrated care, enabling patients to receive comprehensive oral health care and medical care in the same location, and bridging the gap between clinicians so they can improve health outcomes for all patients.”
As part of this, Dr Garcia and her team will work in collaboration with the dental professionals at the practice to address patient’s needs with this integrated health care model. The model includes primary medical care, oral health care, salivary diagnostics, preventative medicine, and chronic disease management among other features. As systemic health and oral health care so closely linked, this will help patients be seen by professionals who understand this link without having to go to multiple practices.
Along with this, PDS has implemented EpicÒ, a health records system designed to connect all primary care and dental care records. Through Epic, patients will have access to acute, primary, and dental health records for a robust understanding of their fully body health. This is also said to assist dental and medical professionals in creating treatment plans.
As understanding of the oral-systemic link deepens, it is vital to be able to assist patients in taking care of their whole body, according to Dr Garcia.
“Pacific Dental Services understands that dental care and medical care can no longer be treated as separate entities,” Dr Garcia said in the press release. “It’s the reason I was drawn to them initially and why I’m proud to partner with them again to improve the overall health of our patients.”