Increasingly, the medical community is recognizing how oral health relates to overall health and engaging in oral health promotion. In 2012, the Massachusetts Medical Society set out to explore how to prioritize oral health as a part of its public health agenda. It began with an Oral Health Forum, which evolved into a Committee on Oral Health. This committee is the first of its kind in a state medical society and is comprised of a diverse group of medical and dental professionals. In this article, we review the process by which the committee was established, report on projects, and reflect on lessons learned.
Keywords: medical dental integration; oral health policy; organized medicine.
© 2019 American Association of Public Health Dentistry.