Burke, Chief Enterprise Strategy Officer, Honored to Serve on Committee
IRVINE, CALIF. March 4, 2021 – Recognizing the significant role oral health plays in overall health, today the National Association for Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD), funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Oral Health (DOH) kicked off the first meeting of the Medical Dental Integration Steering Committee. Pacific Dental Services® (PDS) is honored that Daniel Burke, PDS' Chief Enterprise Strategy Officer, has been chosen to participate on the Framework Steering Committee.
The ten-person committee is charged with guiding a national framework for expanding medical and dental integration (MDI) programs throughout the United States. In partnership with the CDC, NACDD is the only membership association of its kind to serve and represent every chronic disease division. By forming this committee, NACDD raises awareness of the importance of oral health.
"The potential benefits for patient care, cost reduction and medical research is boundless, said Stephen E. Thorne IV, Founder and CEO, Pacific Dental Services, and we are honored that one of our leaders is part of a committee that is dedicated to significant, meaningful healthcare change."
"Science is rapidly uncovering the link between oral health and systemic health, and we are dedicated to the seamless integration we call The Mouth Body Connection®," Burke said. "It is an honor to be asked to serve on this committee, especially given the work we have been doing in this space."
Research shows that harmful bacteria and inflammation in the mouth can indicate and even cause systemic conditions throughout the body, including cardiovascular disease, oral cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and more. Integrating oral and systemic health has the potential to create a seamless, comprehensive healthcare system focused on whole body health.
In September, the CDC asked the NACDD to develop a national framework for medical-dental integration. The framework "will outline opportunities to integrate medical and dental services in different health care and public health settings to support populations with unmet oral health needs and associated chronic diseases," according to an Oct. 15 announcement. The first year of the project "will focus on examining current programmatic and clinical medical-dental integration strategies."