The CDC’s Division of Oral Health Receives Devastating Blow
The ADA and ADHA express alarm over the dismantling of the CDC’s Division of Oral Health, warning that the cuts could unravel decades of progress in preventing dental disease and pose serious risks to the nation’s oral health.
On April 1, 2025, several sources reported that the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) dismantled the 40-person staff of the Division of Oral Health as part of a sweeping federal health agency restructuring. The decision follows a broader layoff announced by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on March 27, which will see 10,000 of its employees cut, which, when combined with other efforts, reduces the HHS workforce from 82,000 to 62,000.
The CDC’s Division of Oral Health has long served as the nation’s backbone for evidence-based dental public health strategies — guiding everything from school-based sealant programs to community water fluoridation and infection control standards in dental settings. Health experts fear that without this infrastructure, the US risks losing hard-won gains in oral disease prevention, especially among underserved populations.
“Oral health is not separate from overall health — it is an integral part of it,” said Erin Haley-Hitz, RDH, president of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA). “We cannot afford to backslide on the progress we have made. These cuts threaten to widen health disparities and increase long-term healthcare costs.”
The American Dental Association (ADA) echoed similar concerns, urging President Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to immediately reverse the cuts. ADA President Brett Kessler, DDS, warned, “When the mouth is ignored, the body suffers.”
Meanwhile, the dental community is mobilizing. Both ADHA and ADA are encouraging dental professionals and public health advocates to contact their elected officials and demand the reinstatement of the CDC’s Division of Oral Health. Click here and here to read more.
