UK Dentistry Opens New Clinic Targeting Holistic Health

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 26, 2018) — A new model for patient care and education is being launched at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry. The College’s new Diagnosis, Wellness and Prevention Clinic, opening today, will allow patients to seek care for both their oral and overall health needs in a single location. The clinic is led by a team of interprofessional clinician educators, including Dr. Craig Miller, Dr. David Devito and Angie Grubbs.

The clinic will assist patients in achieving their overall health goals through awareness, education, prevention and implementation of healthy behaviors. In this unique interprofessional setting, faculty and student dentists in the clinic will integrate initial patient care with health assessment, oral diagnosis and medicine as well as wellness concepts, behavioral medicine, urgent dental care and public health policy.

“This will help providers address patient needs more quickly and reduce additional appointment," said DeVito, co-director of the clinic, on the benefits of this defragmented approach to patient care. "For student dentists, this is an opportunity to learn more about the interaction between oral and systemic health and the important role student dentists have as health care providers and communicators to their patients.”

Nurse practitioner Grubbs plays an integral role in the expanded capabilities of the clinic. Grubbs will work closely with faculty and student dentists to assist in initial assessment, treatment planning and coordination of behavioral health care. Grubbs will also partner with a clinical care coordinator to support patients in behavior modification to improve their health and wellness. These interventions are based on the individual needs of the patient and span the gamut from bettering oral hygiene to medication compliance to sleep, stress, smoking cessation and weight management.

One of the most distinct features of the Diagnosis, Wellness and Prevention Clinic is the ability to provide point-of-care testing for patients in the clinic's CLIA-waved laboratory space. Point-of-care testing is defined as medication diagnostic testing performed at or near the time and place of patient care. Chairside testing enables staff to make decisions when diagnosing a condition or monitoring a treatment response. This expedited clinical decision-making leads to improved efficiencies and productivity.

According to DeVito, this new model for patient care and education is ideal for patients who may not regularly seek medical care such as patients who lack a primary care provider or who use Medicaid as their primary form of insurance.

The Diagnosis, Wellness and Prevention Clinic is located on the third floor of the Dental Science Building on UK's campus. For more information, or to make an appointment, call 859-323-DENT (3368).