At Last, An Rx For Oral Health

Main Category: Dentistry
Article Date: 10 Jun 2010 - 9:00 PDT

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While the braggarts of the blogosphere still argue the politics of health reform, more and more Americans are simply stepping up to take charge of their own health. The key weapon in their arsenal: information.

Using Microsoft's HealthVault, people are gathering their personal health data, storing it, using it to help them get live well. In the process, they are embracing the connection between oral health and overall health. That's why Dentists Management Corporation (DMC) continues to develop the Dental Optimizer, a free online oral health application connected to Microsoft HealthVault, designed to help patients:

- learn the latest about which treatments are most effective.
- understand what they can do to prevent dental disease.
- fathom the costs of dental treatment and how to reduce them.

Today Dental Optimizer™ announced the launch of a pharmacy module that allows patients to find out if the medications they are taking may impact their oral health. In addition to learning about the side effects of their medications, users can access recommendations from dentists and pharmacists aimed at helping them alleviate potential oral health issues.

"Medication-related oral health side effects range from relatively mild to some that are much more severe," said William Ten Pas, DMD, former president of the American Dental Association and a senior executive at ODS, the Oregon-based parent company of Dental Optimizer. "Understanding the potential side effects may help patients avoid serious oral health issues in the future."

According to Robin Richardson, Senior Vice President overseeing Pharmaceutical Programs at ODS, "This new Pharmaceutical Encyclopedia application for Dental Optimizer is a great tool for consumers to better understand the link between their medications and their oral health."

"We believe this new feature will help lead to more coordinated and effective healthcare," said Rachel Picado, President of Dental Optimizer. "Helping patients understand effect of medications on their oral health and providing them a means to easily share personal health information with multiple healthcare providers will result in better overall well-being."

About Dentists Management Corporation

DMC, a subsidiary of ODS, is located in Milwaukie, Oregon, and supports hundreds of dental providers nationwide. Since 1982, DMC has produced DAISY, its full service practice management software. DMC also provides complete computer and networking solutions tailored to dental offices, offering dentists guidance and expertise on issues such as data storage and security.

About Microsoft Health Vault

Microsoft HealthVault is a personal health application platform designed to put consumers in control of their health information. HealthVault provides a security-enhanced foundation on which a broad ecosystem of providers can build innovative health and wellness solutions such as personal health records, disease management, fitness, weight loss and other web applications.

Source
ODS

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