Toronto Medical Clinic Integrates Medical and Oral Health Services

TORONTO, Oct. 11, 2017 -- Under the banner “Your Mouth is Part of Your Body,” a Toronto group medical practice is now offering preventive oral healthcare within its clinic.

MCI’s integration of medical and preventive oral healthcare seamlessly in one clinic is a first in Canada. This new model is important to the better management of diabetes, arthritis and other chronic diseases, as well as oral health. Poor oral health can increase inflammation, de-stabilize blood sugars and raise the risks of cardiovascular disease and stroke.  Similarly, patients with diabetes, arthritis, Parkinson’s, mood disorders, hypertension or taking several medications daily experience significantly poorer oral health (e.g. cavities, gum disease).

MCI Medical’s Six Points Clinic in Etobicoke, a suburb of Toronto, has a registered dental hygienist performing free consultations to adult patients attending this clinic. Those patients at high risk of poor oral health have their plaque removed followed by the application of the topical antiseptic tooth coating called Prevora.

MCI’s President, Ms. Madeline Walker has championed this new service. “Many of our patients have no dental insurance and are very mindful of the cost of going to the dentist – these patients make only irregular visits to the dentist, if at all,” said Ms. Walker. “Given that poor oral health can jeopardize overall health, we are pleased to provide this preventive oral health service,” said Dr. P. Wong, family physician at the clinic.  

A partner to this integrated care model at the Six Points Clinic is CHX Technologies, a Toronto pharmaceutical company and developer of Prevora. “Prevora is very safe and uniquely effective in managing the bacteria which cause poor oral health in adults,” said Ross Perry, President of CHX. “It works so well that CHX offers the patient a warranty on better oral health over 3 years,” added Mr. Perry. Prevora is the only Health Canada approved preventive treatment for dental decay in high risk adults.

About Poor Oral Health: One in 3 Canadian adults experience recurrent dental decay and another 1 in 3 are at high risk of poor oral health because of other chronic diseases such as diabetes and arthritis. Poor oral health is one of the most expensive medical conditions for Canadian adults. It is caused by an imbalance of bacteria in the dental plaque, which is called oral dysbiosis.  Dysbiosis is unaffected by dental surgery such as fillings and crowns.

About Prevora: Prevora is a discovery of the University of Toronto. It has been commercialized by CHX Technologies and is the most studied new product in preventive oral healthcare. In controlled studies, Prevora reduced dental decay by up to 70% in one year, and over 10 years of use in Canadian dental practices, adult patients on Prevora have gone for years without a cavity or dental repairs.

About MCI Medical Clinics:  MCI is Canada’s largest corporate network of family medical clinics and walk-in clinics. It runs 26 clinics in the GTHA and Calgary, and has over 800,000 patient visits each year.

About CHX Technologies: CHX is an innovative, private pharmaceutical company and global leader in preventing poor oral health.