Putting the mouth back in the head: HEENT to HEENOT

Judith Haber, Erin Hartnett, Kenneth Allen, Donna Hallas, Caroline Dorsen, Julia Lange-Kessler, Madeleine Lloyd, Edwidge Thomas, Dorothy Wholihan

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

Improving oral health is a leading population health goal; however, curricula preparing health professionals have a dearth of oral health content and clinical experiences.

We detail an educational and clinical innovation transitioning the traditional head, ears, eyes, nose, and throat (HEENT) examination to the addition of the teeth, gums, mucosa, tongue, and palate examination (HEENOT) for assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of oral-systemic health. Many New York University nursing, dental, and medical faculty and students have been exposed to interprofessional oral health HEENOT classroom, simulation, and clinical experiences. This was associated with increased dental-primary care referrals.

This innovation has potential to build interprofessional oral health workforce capacity that addresses a significant public health issue, increases oral health care access, and improves oral-systemic health across the lifespan.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)437-441
Number of pages5
JournalAmerican journal of public health
Volume105
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1 2015

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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