Thesis
Medical-Dental integration (MDI) at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs): services, barriers, and facilitators
University of Iowa
Master of Science (MS), University of Iowa
Spring 2025
DOI: 10.25820/etd.007833
Abstract
This thesis examines the current status of Medical-Dental Integration (MDI) within Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in the United States. MDI aims to bridge the longstanding divide between medicine and dentistry through interdisciplinary collaboration and improve overall health outcomes. FQHCs are particularly well-positioned to support MDI for underserved populations, as they offer various services, including behavioral health, primary medical care, and dental care, within the same or nearby locations. An online survey was distributed to clinical leaders in medicine and dentistry at FQHCs via the National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) listserv between October and December 2023. According to responses from across the United States, the most provided MDI service in both medical and dental settings was patient referral. Physicians, nurse practitioners, dentists, and dental hygienists were the primary providers involved in delivering MDI services. For both medical and dental providers, the most important facilitator was the executive leadership support. The most notable barrier was the limited capacity of dental clinics to accept referrals, noted by over half of medical respondents. This study highlighted the multidimensional nature of MDI within FQHCs, emphasizing the importance of recognizing both the unique and shared attributes of medical and dental teams.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Medical-Dental integration (MDI) at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs): services, barriers, and facilitators
- Creators
- Juyoung An
- Contributors
- Julie C Reynolds (Advisor)Peter C Damiano (Committee Member)Kecia S Leary (Committee Member)Candace Owen (Committee Member)Chandler Pendleton (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (MS), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Dental Public Health
- Date degree season
- Spring 2025
- DOI
- 10.25820/etd.007833
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- xii, 181 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2025 Juyoung An
- Language
- English
- Date submitted
- 04/25/2025
- Description illustrations
- illustrations, tables, maps, graphs
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 153-157).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
- This thesis explores how medicine and dentistry can work better together in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), or more commonly known as community health centers across the U.S. FQHCs serve many patients who often face barriers to healthcare and usually provide a range of services—like medical, dental, and mental health care—all under one roof or nearby. The goal of what's called Medical-Dental Integration (MDI) is to bring doctors, dentists, and other health professionals together to collaborate and improve patients’ overall health. To understand how MDI is actually working, I surveyed medical and dental leaders at FQHCs across the country. The survey found that the most common way medical and dental teams work together is by referring patients to one another. Providers like physicians, nurse practitioners, dentists, and dental hygienists were most often involved in these efforts. Respondents agreed that support from their organizational leaders is one of the most important factors in making integration work. However, one major challenge was that dental clinics often cannot handle all the referrals they receive. Overall, this study shows that bringing medical and dental care together is complex but important to promote the overall well-being of the most vulnerable populations.
- Academic Unit
- Preventive and Community Dentistry
- Record Identifier
- 9984830923302771
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