Sahara Health Group and Sahara Modern Dentistry will occupy the same location to treat dental and medical holistically.
LAS VEGAS, NEV. April 7, 2022 – Pacific Dental Services® (PDS), one of the country’s leading dental support organizations, announced the grand opening of Sahara Health Group, a new supported medical practice in Las Vegas, Nev. Led by owner physician Elena Garcia, MD, the practice will conduct operations in the same location as Sahara Modern Dentistry. The practice represents the latest development in a series of innovative partnerships initiated by PDS that support medical and dental integration to improve the overall health of patients. Sahara Health Group began operations Tuesday, April 5.
Sahara Modern Dentistry, owned by Lulu Tang, DMD, opened in May 2021. Dr. Garcia and her team hope to improve the overall health of each patient by not only sharing the same clinical space but working collaboratively with dental clinicians to address a patient’s medical and dental needs holistically. This innovative concept increases access to integrated, comprehensive health care by offering primary medical care, oral health care, salivary diagnostics, preventative medicine, chronic disease management and more –all under the same roof. It also enables patients to be seen by medical and dental professionals who understand the critical link between oral health and whole-body health.
This unique partnership furthers PDS’s goal to educate others on the link between their oral health and overall health –what PDS and its supported practices call The Mouth-Body Connection®. Research shows that harmful bacteria and inflammation in the mouth can indicate and even cause systemic conditions throughout the body. Periodontal disease has been connected to systemic health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, pre-term/low-weight births, cancer and more. Conversely, the link is often bi-directional. Many systemic diseases, conditions and even medications can affect a patient’s oral health.
“As leaders in the industry, Pacific Dental Services has long advocated for closer collaboration between dental and medical professionals to improve health outcomes for patients,” said Stephen E. Thorne IV, Founder and CEO of Pacific Dental Services. “This unique partnership is another important step towards establishing integrated care, enabling patients to receive comprehensive oral health care and medical care in the same location, and bridging the gap between clinicians so they can improve health outcomes for all patients.”
In addition, PDS was the first dental organization in the world to implement Epic®, the most widely used, comprehensive health records system, into its supported practices. Through Epic, PDS-supported dental practices can easily exchange patient data with other health care providers for improved patient care. Integrated health records provide a better understanding of a patient’s overall health, allowing providers to more effectively design a treatment plan to achieve and maintain optimal well-being. As an added benefit, this also allows patients to view their acute, primary and dental health records all in one place. This powerful tool helps connect what is happening in their mouth with the rest of their body, leading to better overall health for the patient.
PDS launched a similar dental-medical integrated model in July 2021 with the opening of Union Village Modern Dentistry, Union Village Kid’s Dentistry, and Union Village Medical Group–three practices located next door to each other in Henderson, Nev. Dr. Garcia also owns Union Village Medical Group.
“Pacific Dental Services understands that dental care and medical care can no longer be treated as separate entities,” said Dr. Garcia. “It’s the reason I was drawn to them initially and why I’m proud to partner with them again to improve the overall health of all our patients.”
Sahara Health Group and Sahara Modern Dentistry are located at 4950 W Sahara Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89146.
