Closing the Gap: How Oral Health and Sleep Health Are Imperative to Overall Health.

The healthcare landscape has long been characterized by a noticeable separation between the medical and dental fields, influencing how both oral and overall health are perceived and managed today. Long ago, tooth extraction was perceived as a form of entertainment, with barber-surgeons conducting procedures in front of crowds.1 Dentistry's transformation into a profession in the mid-1800s established a separate educational path, intensifying the divergence between medical and dental healthcare.2,3 The US Surgeon General's Oral Health in America reports in 2000 and 2021 highlighted the need to close the gap between dental and medical healthcare. Oral health is crucial to reducing chronic inflammation, affecting patients' overall health and quality of life.4 Dental-medical integration is imperative for collaborative care addressing chronic inflammation, overactive sympathetic responses, and oxidative stress.