C.E. Credit. Why Integrate Dentistry and Behavioral Health: What Every Oral Health Provider Should Know About Mental and Substance Use

Background Mental health and substance use challenges have reached crisis levels in the U.S. Nearly one in three American adults had either a substance use disorder or any mental illness in 2022, and nearly one in four adolescents aged 12 to 17 had a substance use disorder or major depressive episode in the same year. The behavioral health workforce is not able to keep up with this demand, leading to a scarcity of resources and services for individuals with mental health and substance use needs. This need increasingly impacts all health care settings, including dental settings, where providers often have limited resources and supports for addressing the mental health and substance use needs of patients – here referred to with the umbrella term of "behavioral health."