The University of Manitoba is preparing to launch a new online resource to bridge what it has identified as a major gap in oral health information among Canadian healthcare professionals.
AdvancingIn Oral Health (www.AdvancingIn.com) will go live in September 2009 as part of an effort to improve quality of care and patient health in Canada, according to the university. It will provide continuing oral health education to more than 72,000 Canadian health professionals, with courses covering strategies for preventive care and integrative practice.
The site is the result of a partnership between the University of Manitoba Faculty of Dentistry and mdBriefCase, AdvancingIn, and rxBriefCase. mdBriefCase has been providing online information resources to Canadian healthcare professionals since 2002.
A recent survey conducted by mdBriefCase indicates that 85% of health professionals practicing in Canada today do not have enough information on oral health and the link between oral and overall patient health, the university noted. The online survey of more than 400 Canadian physicians, pharmacists, and allied health professionals revealed several gaps in their oral health knowledge relative to patient care: While 60% of Canadian health professionals reported speaking to their patients about oral health, more than 85% said they did not feel they had enough information on oral-systemic links. Further, more than 90% said they would recommend oral health strategies to their patients were they aware of appropriate treatment methods.
"These results confirm what we have thought to be the case for some time now," stated Casey Hein, project director for the university's Oral Systemic Curriculum Development, in a press release. "All healthcare practitioners are starting to understand that the link between oral and whole-body health is a reality and that oral health strategies can have a positive impact on overall patient care."
