Person-centered care model in dentistry

TLDR

Optimal health and oral health require person‑centered care that integrates social well‑being, behavior, context, and lifestyle, shifting dentistry from a surgical, treatment‑oriented model to a prevention‑oriented, disease‑management approach that improves quality of care and overall health outcomes. The authors propose a person‑centered care model aimed at integrating oral health into overall health improvement. The model defines three change agents—person, provider, and health‑care system designer—each with specific roles and responsibilities. Unlike earlier models that focused on providers, this work highlights the care designer’s role in fostering effective communication between person and provider, leading to better health outcomes.

Abstract

To achieve optimal health and oral health, the system of care must place a person and their social well-being at the center of decision making and understand factors spent outside the clinical settings, including individual behavior, context and lifestyle. Person-centered care offers a unique and compelling opportunity for dentistry, and its practitioners, to improve quality of care and overall health outcomes. For decades, the dominant treatment modalities within dentistry primarily focused on a surgical, treatment-oriented approach as opposed to health promotion and improvement. However, new business and care models are disrupting the dental care system, and transforming it into one that is focused on disease management and prevention-oriented primary care that considers overall health and well-being. We proposed a person-centered care model to improve oral health as an integral part of overall health. The model identified three key players who act as change agents with their respective roles and responsibilities: Person, provider, and health care system designer. While previous person-centered models in dentistry focused on the role of providers within the clinical setting, this work emphasizes the role of the care designer in creating an environment where both person and provider are able to communicate effectively and achieve improved health outcomes.