Evidence suggests that collaborative primary care practice models integrating dentists can improve patient outcomes and lower overall healthcare costs, especially for patients with conditions like diabetes, coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, and pregnancy. However, dentists often practice in isolation from the healthcare team.
Past work has described how dental care siloes are reinforced by structural barriers, such as separated medical and dental insurance, non-interoperable electronic health records and lack of interprofessional training. How primary care providers (PCPs), other healthcare providers, and staff view dentists amid such barriers is poorly understood. In this study, we use novel survey data to examine the extent to which PCPs, other providers, and staff consider dentists part of the healthcare team, and assess associated practice and individual characteristics.