November is American Diabetes month and communities, organizations and health care professionals are teaming up to bring attention to a disease that plagues over 100 million American adults. In fact, the American Diabetes Association estimates that direct medical costs associated with diabetes exceed $230 billion and care for people with diagnosed diabetes accounts for 1 in 4 health care dollars in the U.S.
What many people don’t realize is that routine, quality dental care can actually uncover the presence of diabetes and help to manage and mitigate its serious health effects. Early detection is crucial because when left untreated, diabetes can lead to a number of health and oral health complications including kidney disease, heart disease and stroke, nerve damage and blindness, bacterial infections, gingivitis and periodontitis.
So how can the right dental benefits strategy help?
Dental, if approached in bold, new ways, can not only fuel your ability to attract, retain and grow your membership, it can also offer solutions that will positively impact the overall health of your members dealing with chronic disease. A trusted dental partner can accelerate your plan’s diabetes prevention and chronic disease management initiatives through medical dental integration strategies that help your members prevent diabetes, detect it earlier and more affordably manage the disease.
At DentaQuest, we use an approach called Preventistry® to engage oral health professionals and members to take a more active role in improving oral health through prevention. When it comes to the fight against diabetes, our chronic condition outreach program reduces medical complications caused by periodontal disease in diabetic members. These kinds of inventive dental-driven solutions help your members combat the effects of diabetes while avoiding or reducing the need for expensive treatment. That’s good for the health of your members and the health of your business.
Learn more about how a partnership with DentaQuest can advance your diabetes prevention and disease management strategies and give your plan a new competitive edge to Perform, Lead and Grow.