AADR: U.S. should include oral diseases in healthcare reform

Jul 13, 2009

The American Association for Dental Research (AADR) is calling on U.S. lawmakers to include the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of oral diseases in their healthcare reform proposals.

In 2000, U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher called the country's attention to the importance of oral health with the landmark report "Oral Health in America." The report recognized the associations between oral health and general health, and called upon policymakers to "build an effective health infrastructure that meets the oral health needs of all Americans and integrates oral health effectively into overall health."

Nearly a decade later, it's time to respond to the surgeon general, according to the AADR. The organization this week released a policy statement, "Oral Health Care within Health Care Reform," that focuses on the scientific base of oral health and its associations to other aspects of health.

Oral health research is the underpinning for good oral health and has greatly affected the way oral healthcare is delivered, according to the AADR. However, advances in care and treatment models have not been shared equally by all Americans, and the physical and economic burden of oral disease continues to outweigh that of other more commonly covered diseases and conditions. More than 51 million school hours and 164 million hours of work are lost each year due to dental-related absences. While continued dental research is essential to managing and one day eliminating oral disease, putting current knowledge into practice now is critical to improving oral health for all Americans.

The AADR is thus making the following policy recommendations:

Provide accessible and affordable oral healthcare to facilitate the application of dental research findings and to improve the oral health of all Americans.
As research has shown the interconnectedness between oral health and overall health, include the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of oral diseases in healthcare reform.
Continue a sustained investment in biomedical research, including in the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research to further reduce the burden of oral diseases for all Americans.