Dec 22 2009
While politicians and pundits continue to arm wrestle the minutiae of
health reform, more and more Americans are stepping up to take charge of
their own health. The key weapon in their arsenal: information.
“Dental health is
integral to a patient’s overall well-being.”
Many people are embracing the connection between oral health and overall
health. That’s why Dentists Management Corporation (DMC) today announced
the launch of the Dental Optimizer, a free online application connected
to Microsoft HealthVault, which is designed to help patients:
● understand what they can do to prevent dental disease.
● learn the latest about what treatments are the most effective.
● enjoy less time in the dentist’s chair, or lower out-of pocket costs.
Microsoft HealthVault, a personal health record platform, allows people
to gather, store and share their health data to better manage their
overall health and wellness.
The application features easy-to-use, interactive tools such as risk
assessment quizzes and a treatment cost calculator. Patients can also
create an online oral health profile that allows them to get
personalized, science-based suggestions for how to better manage their
oral health conditions.
“Studies are beginning to establish a connection between oral infection
and other serious health conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease,
and preterm, low birth-weight babies,” says Dr. William Ten Pas, DMD,
former president of the American Dental Association and a senior
executive at ODS, the Oregon-based parent company of DMC. “When you
maintain a healthy mouth, you can help keep the rest of your body
healthy, too.”
“We designed HealthVault to help people improve their health by enabling
them to digitally store information and share it with healthcare
professionals and third-parties,” said David Cerino, general manager,
Microsoft Health Solutions Group. “With this partnership, we extend our
HealthVault community to include a tool that allows people to better
manage their oral health, an important aspect of overall wellness.”
Dentists Management Corporation is the first solution provider to
partner with Microsoft HealthVault, specifically focusing on oral
health. Built on the HealthVault platform, Dental Optimizer allows
patients to store information about their oral health and share it with
caregivers. “We hope that providing patients a means to easily share
their information with both dentists and physicians, will lead to more
coordinated and effective care,” said Rachel Picado, director of
informatics at ODS and one of the tool’s creators. “Dental health is
integral to a patient’s overall well-being.”
Source: Dentists Management Corporation