Organized dentistry backs U.S. proposed oral health law

Organized dentistry, including the American Association of Endodontists, is endorsing proposed legislation calling for the development of an oral health literacy strategy in the U.S.

HR 994, which is titled the Oral Health Literacy and Awareness Act of 2023, was reintroduced on February 14 by a group of bipartisan U.S. lawmakers. The bill instructs the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration to develop an oral health literacy strategy for underserved communities and aims to stop the rise of oral disease and related illnesses through a five-year oral health literacy campaign.

Other groups supporting the bill include the following:

• The Academy of General Dentistry
• The American College of Prosthodontists
• The American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research
• The American Student Dental Association
• The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
• The American Association of Orthodontists
• The ADA
• The American Society of Dental Anesthesiologists
• The American Academy of Periodontology
• The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry
• Delta Dental Plans Association