Organized Dentistry Unites to Restore the CDC’s Oral Health Infrastructure
National dental organizations are urging Congress to strengthen the CDC’s oral health program, arguing that prevention, surveillance, and public health initiatives are essential to improving access and reducing oral disease nationwide.
Organized dentistry is making a unified push to restore and strengthen one of the nation’s most important public health resources for oral healthcare. The Organized Dentistry Coalition, led by the American Dental Association and other national oral health organizations, is supporting federal legislation that would reauthorize the United State Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Oral Health for another 5 years. The proposed Promoting Dental Health Act recognizes the continuing burden of oral disease, with millions of Americans still lacking dental insurance or living in areas where access to dental care remains limited.
Coalition members argue that the CDC’s oral health program provides critical support for disease surveillance, school-based sealant initiatives, workforce development, public education, and the integration of oral health into overall healthcare systems. Because only a limited number of states currently receive core oral health funding, many communities continue to face significant public health gaps. Organized dentistry believes renewed federal investment will strengthen prevention efforts, improve access to care, enhance state oral health programs, and, ultimately, reduce the long-term costs associated with untreated dental disease. Click here to read more.
