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Bridging the Care Gap Oral health and primary care integration can improve community health and disease management.
BY DANIEL BEAIRD
Westwind Integrated Health has been practicing medical and dental integration since 2017. The mission of this Phoenix-based doctorowned, multispecialty practice is to treat patients through a big picture lens with a focus on overall wellness to help patients become the healthiest version of themselves.
of those Americans actually see their dentist. Providing primary care services to those patients could improve population health and chronic disease management. “Our goal is to improve our patients’ quality of life through prevention of disease,” Dr. Beyramian said. “Chairside screenings close care gaps – we know this. The collaboration between our primary care physicians, dentists, oral surgeons and orthodontists has changed people’s lives.” Westwind Integrated Health has diagnosed patients with hypertension who were overweight and at risk for diabetes, along with sleep disorders, in hopes of changing the course of their patients’ lives. Patients with facial pain have been treated for TMJ and corrected a sleep disorder with a sleep specialist and a neurologist.
“We empower patients through knowledge to change their behavior,” said Dr. Maryam Beyramian, founder and CEO of Westwind Integrated Health, who has been practicing dentistry for 20 years. “Once you educate patients about their care gaps and what their health could look like in the future, you help them believe in their healthiest version.” Medical and dental care have long operated parallel to each other, rather than in conjunction. Evidence is mounting to the flaws in quality for patients participating in separate
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healthcare systems. For example, 55 million Americans don’t receive outpatient medical care, but a quarter
Dr. Maryam Beyramian
MARCH/APRIL 2022 • DENTIST ENTREPRENEUR ORGANIZATION
dentalgrouppractice.com
