FAIR Health Invited to Panel Discussion at CONVERGE: NADP Conference 2025

September 18, 2025

On September 17, FAIR Health took part in a panel discussion at the CONVERGE: NADP (National Association of Dental Plans) Conference 2025 in Indian Wells, California. NADP is a representative and recognized resource of the dental benefits industry, and its CONVERGE conference attracts leaders who represent a wide array of national, regional and state dental plans.

The panel that FAIR Health sat on also included a representative from Fluent Dental and a moderator from West Monroe. The purpose of the session was to bring together unique perspectives across the healthcare landscape and explore the latest trends and insights across claims data, utilization data, network data and more.

FAIR Health engaged in a lively discussion and answered questions about the organization’s role in the research space. We described our collection of medical and dental claim records—the largest in the nation—and the types of analyses that are possible with our dataset. Within this large sample, there exists a subset of members whose dental and medical claim records are linked and whose medical and dental experience therefore can be analyzed jointly. We explained how this unique sample allows us to evaluate the association between dental care and medical outcomes and vice versa.

To illustrate this, FAIR Health presented some preliminary data that evaluated the relationship between the receipt of preventive dental services and decreased medical spending. Further research on data such as this may provide insights into the relationship between oral health and general health, an area that incited interest among the audience.

While studies exist that integrate medical and dental records, many come from public health plans such as Medicare and Medicaid, with limited insights from the commercially insured population. Claims-based research that integrates complete medical and dental claim records from the commercially insured population would enable more accurate total cost-of-care analyses and may provide additional insight into the connection between oral health and systemic conditions. Further, such integrated data could provide comprehensive insights into healthcare utilization patterns, thereby informing both clinical practice and policy decisions. The panel and audience discussed potential benefits to payors that could result from expanding their access to medical and/or dental claims in order to take advantage of the insights gleaned from linked records.

The panel finished by talking about future plans. FAIR Health spoke about plans to continue to explore integrated medical and dental data. Potential studies could include identifying various chronic and comorbid conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and their relationship with preventive dental care, such as oral health exams and dental cleanings; teasing apart the influence of oral health on overall healthcare spending; and shedding light on the effects of demographic factors such as patient age, gender and the state where services were received, among others.

The discussion was well received and led to questions and interest surrounding the advancement of healthcare utilization data.

To find out more about FAIR Health’s data repository and its potential uses in integrating medical and dental claims, contact us by email at info@fairhealth.org or call us at 855-301-FAIR (3247), Monday through Friday, 9 am to 6 pm ET.