Duke Health Provider question
I put my patients at the center of everything I do and ensure that their mouth does not complicate their medical diagnosis, treatment, or quality of life.
– Katharine "Kate" Ciarrocca, DMD, MSEd

Katharine "Kate" Ciarrocca, DMD, MSEd

Oral Medicine Specialist

Duke Health Provider question
Call for an Appointment
Where I See Patients
Duke Otolaryngology and Oral Surgery Clinic - Clinic 1F - Durham, NC
Board Certified
American Board of Oral Medicine, Oral Medicine
I put my patients at the center of everything I do and ensure that their mouth does not complicate their medical diagnosis, treatment, or quality of life.
– Katharine "Kate" Ciarrocca, DMD, MSEd

About Me

As an advocate of the essential role oral health plays in overall health, I have spent my career as a dentist and oral medicine specialist in a setting where oral health care is integral to overall patient care. My practice has focused on medically complex patients and how that complexity affects the oral cavity. I am the director of Duke Oral Medicine and Hospital Dentistry. We diagnose and treat acute and chronic oral complications of head and neck radiation therapy, chemotherapy, bisphosphonate treatment, solid organ transplant, bone marrow transplant, and cardiac surgery. Our service can also diagnose and treat oral lesions due to medical illness (herpes, yeast, canker sores), oral mucosal diseases (lichen planus, pemphigus, pemphigoid), oral ramifications of cancer treatment (mucositis, GVHD, osteoradionecrosis, dry mouth, trismus, radiation caries), autoimmune diseases (Sjogren’s, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, scleroderma), and dry mouth related to medical illness/treatment.

School of Medicine Departments and Divisions
Current Appointments and Affiliations
Languages I Speak
English

Call for an Appointment

Ratings and Reviews

The Patient Rating score is an average of all responses to care provider related questions on our nationally-recognized Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction Survey. Learn more about our survey process. Responses are measured on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best score. Patients who see some types of providers receive a different version of the patient satisfaction survey. Those results are not available on DukeHealth.org.

Overall Provider Rating
4.96 out of 5
165 ratings, 38 reviews

Training and Education

Board Certification
American Board of Oral Medicine, Oral Medicine
Residency
Oral Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 1996-1998
Education
MSEd, University of Pennsylvania, 1998
DMD, University of Pennsylvania, 1996

Clinical Focus and Research

My Research Interests

My research interests include oral mucositis and oral complications of cancer therapy. I believe my research will help to benefit our patients and show them the value of being part of a health care system that studies oral health care.

Publications and Grants

Insurance Accepted

Duke Health contracts with most major health insurance carriers and transplant networks, including the ones listed below.

    • Aetna Choice POS, Aetna Choice POS II
    • Aetna Elect Choice HMO, Aetna Open Access Elect Choice
    • Aetna Health Network Only, Aetna Health Network Option
    • Aetna HMO
    • Aetna Limited Benefit Insurance PPO
    • Aetna Managed Choice POS
    • Aetna Medicare Assure Plan (HMO D-SNP)
    • Aetna Medicare Eagle Plan (PPO)
    • Aetna Medicare Essential Plan (PPO)
    • Aetna Medicare Value Plan (HMO)
    • Aetna Open Access HMO, Open Access Aetna Select, Aetna Open Access Managed Choice
    • Aetna Open Choice PPO
    • Aetna PCP Coordinated POS Plan
    • Aetna Quality Point of Service (QPOS)
    • Aetna Select HMO
    • Aetna Traditional Choice
    • Aetna Voluntary Indemnity Group Plan
    • Aetna Whole Health – Duke WakeMed WKCC
    • Aetna/CVS Health
    • Ambetter of North Carolina
    • Blue Advantage
    • Blue Medicare (HMO, PPO)*
    • Blue Options (123, PPO, HSA)
    • Blue Select
    • NC State Employees Health Plan
    • *Duke HomeCare and Hospice does not participate in the plan.

    • Cigna Behavioral Health (*Limited eligibility)
    • Cigna Choice Plus
    • Cigna Connect Individual Family Plan
    • Cigna Open Access
    • Cigna Open Access Plus
    • *Please call Cigna Behavioral Heath to see if the provider is participating in your plan.

    • Duke Basic
    • Duke Select
    • Experience Health Medicare Advantage (HMO) Plan
  • Gateway Health Alliance
  • Healthgram
    • Humana Choice (PPO)
    • Humana Choice - Medicare Advantage (PPO)
    • Humana ChoiceCare - Medicare Advantage (PPO)
    • Humana Gold Choice - Medicare Advantage (PFFS)
    • Humana Gold Plus - Medicare Advantage (HMO)
    • Humana Medicare Advantage Group Plan - NC State Retirees
  • MedCost
    • First Medicare Direct
    • Medicare Part A
    • Medicare Part B
    • AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina
    • Carolina Complete Health
    • Healthy Blue
    • NC Medicaid Direct
    • WellCare of North Carolina
    • TRICARE Prime
    • TRICARE Prime Remote
    • TRICARE Select
    • AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 2 (HMO-POS)
    • AARP Medicare Complete (HMO, PPO)*
    • AARP Medicare Complete Essential (HMO)*
    • All Savers Alternate Funding
    • All Savers Fully Insured
    • United Healthcare (HMO, PPO, POS)
    • United Healthcare Charter/Charter Balance/Charter Plus
    • United Healthcare Choice/Choice Plus
    • United Healthcare Core/Core Essential
    • United Healthcare Navigate/Navigate Plus/Navigate Balanced
    • United Healthcare Option PPO
    • United Healthcare Passport Connect Choice/Choice Plus
    • United Healthcare Passport Connect Options PPO
    • United Healthcare Select/Select Plus
    • United Healthcare Shared Services - Harvard Pilgrim/UHC Options PPO Network
    • United Medical Resources (UMR)
    • *Duke HomeCare and Hospice and mental health providers do not participate with the plan.

Before scheduling your appointment, we strongly recommend you contact your insurance company to verify that the Duke Health location or provider you plan to visit is included in your network. Your insurance company will also be able to inform you of any co-payments, co–insurances, or deductibles that will be your responsibility. If you proceed in scheduling an appointment and your health insurance benefits do not participate with Duke, your out of pocket liability may be higher. We will contact you regarding your coverage and patient liability. If you are uninsured, learn more about our financial assistance policy.

External Relationships

Duke requires faculty members to report certain relationships outside of their employment in order to ensure potential conflicts can be addressed. This faculty member has reported no outside activities that relate to their Duke responsibilities.