Integrating Lifestyle Medicine into Oral Health Care
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51985/Abstract
Integrating lifestyle medicine into oral healthcare highlights a shifting paradigm from disease centered treatment to prevention based, holistic care. Oral diseases such as caries, periodontitis, and oral cancer share modifiable lifestyle factors including diet, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, stress, and inadequate physical activity with heart conditions. Addressing these determinants alongside conventional dental treatments can enhance treatment outcomes and improve overall Patient wellbeing. Lifestyle medicine offers structured, evidence-based strategies such as nutritional counseling, behavioral modification, and stress reduction which can be seamlessly incorporated into dental practice. Dentists are uniquely positioned to identify risk behaviors early and support patients through personalized interventions. Collaborative care models, interprofessional education, and patient centered interventions are essential to overcome implementation barriers. By embracing this shift towards lifestyle medicine, oral health professionals can contribute meaningfully to the prevention of both oral and systemic diseases, ultimately advancing population health and reducing healthcare costs
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