Are you a Dentist, Orthodontist, or Periodontist?
Dentists working together with Osteopathic Practitioners can greatly benefit the patient. There is a fundamental relationship between proper movement in the face and mouth and the rest of the body. Proper alignment in the jaw and the position of the teeth can be influenced by the function of the rest of the body. Osteopathic Practitioners work with the head and the body as a whole.
Osteopathic practitioners are critical players on the health care team. They have patient-centered practices, and are committed to ensuring that every patient gets the right care from the right professional at the right time.
Your patients could benefit from an integrated approach to their health. Consider referring your patients to an Osteopathic Practitioner in order to achieve optimal results.
When to refer your dental patients:
- Limited jaw movement
- Difficulty performing procedures due to limited range of motion
- Clicking or pain with jaw movement
- Pain around the jaw or face after dental work
- Mal-occlusion issues
- In conjunction with orthodontic work to reduce stress and strain
Is osteopathy safe?
Osteopathy is safe, gentle, and effective. Osteopathy is a drug-free, non-invasive manual technique. Osteopathic Practitioners are extensively trained in the human sciences, the inter-relationships between the systems of the body and the art of assisting alignment, organ function, neurovascular health, and circulation of all body fluids.
The World Health Organization, in its 2010 report on Osteopathy, recognized osteopathy as distinct from other healthcare professions that utilize manual techniques, such as physiotherapy and chiropractic, despite some overlap in the techniques and interventions employed. WHO Benchmarks for Training in Osteopathy, 2010
Does osteopathy work?
Osteopathy has been established as an effective treatment for conditions that have a significant musculoskeletal component. Systemic and metabolic conditions and complex pain syndromes can also be assisted and alleviated by the osteopathic approach, often in collaboration with other health professionals.
Patients have experienced many benefits such as:
- Pain relief
- Increased range of motion
- Increased circulation
- Trauma healing
- Hormonal balance
- Decreased stress and tension
- Improved posture
What proof is there?
Scientific research has been conducted to verify the effectiveness of Osteopathy. Many scientific articles are listed on the Research & Scientific Findings page.
Osteopathy and osteopathic medicine are making a significant contribution to global healthcare with the osteopathic profession now established in over 50 countries, according to a report released by the Osteopathic International Alliance (OIA) at its annual conference in Austin, Texas on 12 January 2014.
One significant report is Osteopathy and Osteopathic Medicine – a Global View of Practice, Patients, Education and the Contribution to Healthcare Delivery – was commissioned by the OIA with consultation from the World Health Organization (WHO) as an initiative to document the growing significance of osteopathic healthcare worldwide. The WHO also contributed a foreword to the report.
Click to view a listing of scientific articles on osteopathy.