A doctor and dentist walk into a classroom…

Romesh-Nalliah-Bill-Anderson
Romesh Nalliah and William D. Anderson III

…and join forces to make a case for oral health

November 24, 2015 — When Romesh Nalliah, a dentist, spoke about the importance of oral health to overall health in a class at Harvard Chan School in summer 2014, it struck a chord with classmate William D. Anderson III, a physician. He realized that doctors generally aren’t trained to examine patients’ mouths—in fact, during routine exams, they usually look straight past the mouth to examine the throat—and, after class, he talked with Nalliah about working together to try to change the status quo.

Ten months later, the two had coauthored a paper, “Oral Lesions You Can’t Afford to Miss,” that was published in the Journal of Family Practice. The article and accompanying photo guide are aimed at helping family doctors identify conditions in the mouth that can lead to serious systemic problems if not treated.

Nalliah and Anderson are both in their second year of the part-time, nonresidential master in health care management (MHCM) program at Harvard Chan School, on track to complete their degrees next year. Nalliah, the sole dentist in the class of mostly physicians, and formerly a faculty member at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, is director of clinical education at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. Anderson, a family medicine physician, is associate dean for clinical affairs and chief medical officer at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine.

Both Anderson and Nalliah have high praise for the MHCM program. Nalliah appreciates its unique mix of training in finances, marketing, and other management skills. “I think health care leaders often depend on their experience and learning on the job,” he said, “whereas with this program we’re formally receiving that training upfront in our careers.” Anderson welcomes the exposure to professors and guest lecturers who are on the cutting edge of U.S. health policy, as well as the chance to learn from classmates. “These people from all parts of the country are going to be lifelong colleagues and friends,” he said.

Colin Fleming, program manager for the MHCM, was thrilled with the collaboration between Nalliah and Anderson. “In a program that teaches management skills, we stress that the key to being a good manager is being able to work together and work on teams,” he said. “So we’re gratified when individuals take that and run with it.”

Anderson said he was grateful for Nalliah’s insights on the critical impact that physicians can have on oral health, especially since a primary care physician might be a patient’s only health care provider, as many people have health insurance but not dental insurance.

Nalliah and Anderson acknowledge that their paper is only a first step in raising awareness of oral health issues in nondental health care providers. But it is an important step nonetheless—and one that has already prompted change at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, where Anderson has made the paper required reading for all family medicine residents. And the cross-disciplinary collaboration that began in a Harvard Chan classroom continues: Nalliah and Anderson are slated to present at the 2016 American Dental Education Association conference on the negotiation skills necessary to succeed in an academic institution.

Jan Reiss

photo: Emily Cuccarese