Putting the Mouth Back into the Body conference brings sector together

Dec 19, 2016Latest News, Our Services

In November 2016, North Richmond Community Health hosted its second multidisciplinary health conference, Putting the Mouth Back into the Body.

Taking place over two days, the conference focused on the integration of oral and general health across a number of professions. Victorian Cabinet Secretary, The Hon. Mary-Anne Thomas MP (pictured below), opened the conference, noting the connection between oral health and socio-economic status.

The Honourable Mary-Anne Thomas, MP, speaker at Putting the Mouth Back into the Body conference at North Richmond Community Health (NRCH)

Photo by Radost Ratcheva

Keynote speaker Professor Joerg Eberhard (pictured below), Chair of Lifespan Oral Health in the Faculty of Dentistry and the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney, spoke to more than 100 healthcare professionals about the interactions of oral health and general health at all phases of life.gs.

Professor Joerg Eberhard, speaker at Putting the mouth back into the body conference 2016 at North Richmond Community Health (NRCH)

Photo by Radost Ratcheva

For too long, oral health has been considered separate from general health. Without an integrated and cohesive healthcare system, valuable knowledge is lost and patients miss out. Putting the Mouth Back into the Body brought together ground-breaking experts from across healthcare, consumers and policy makers, to help form new strategies of care. With the information gained from the conference, North Richmond Community Health will continue to build on its sector-leading model of care.

The conference drew a diverse range of professionals together from across the healthcare sector, including General Practitioners, Pharmacists, Maternal and Child Health Nurses, Dietitians, Oral Health Nurses and Researchers. With an emphasis on generating knowledge, rather than simply sharing it, the conference will conclude with the development of final conference summary statements, which will be disseminated to relevant networks across the sector.

The conference was the second in the Where the Mind Meets the Mouth series. Last year’s inaugural conference focused on social determinants of oral health, and aimed to equip clinicians with the skills to support clients experiencing issues like mental illness, family violence and drug use.

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