Today, participants of the 2014 Virginia Oral Health Summit explored innovative ways to ensure oral health is integrated into all aspects of health care.
Nearly 200 leaders from dentistry, medicine, the health safety net, academia, philanthropy and legislature attended the Summit to hear expert presentations on comprehensive health care practices that facilitate optimal oral health for Virginians.
 Dr. William Hazel, Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources, opened the Summit with a welcome message that all oral health stakeholders are critical partners for innovation in health care and policy.
Keynote speaker Dr. Sean Boynes offered insight on the cost-savings and health outcomes gained through medical-dental integration, as well as future technologies that can lead to better oral disease prevention and treatment. Our expert panel answered practical questions about integrating oral health services into clinical settings.
Colin Reusch from Children's Dental Health Project helped to demystify dental benefits within the Affordable Care Act, noting that health reform is a great opportunity to bridge the gap between medical and dental communities.
 "Dental providers offer a great example of a profession making great strides in patient engagement," said speaker Nick Dawson from The Society for Participatory Medicine. Dr. Elizabeth Berry closed the Summit with a fresh look at recent research in risk-based dental disease prevention.
Presentations from today's event will be available on our website (www.vaoralhealth.org) in the coming weeks.
Thank you to all of our speakers, sponsors, partners and attendees for making this another successful Summit!
With gratitude,
Sarah Bedard Holland
Executive Director
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