19 December 2021

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A five-year oral health literacy campaign has been approved: Oral Health Literacy and Awareness Act

The Oral Health Literacy and Awareness Act of 2021 passed the House of Representatives on Dec. 8.

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The ADA and Organized Dentistry Coalition supported this legislation, authorizing the U.S. The Health Resources and Services Administration will develop and test evidence-based oral health literacy strategies to provide oral disease prevention education through a five-year oral health literacy campaign. 

“As dentists, we believe oral health literacy is the foundation of a lifetime of wellness,” the groups wrote in an October 2021 letter. “Most oral health ailments can be avoided by increasing oral health literacy among all populations, with an emphasis on children to ensure they develop and maintain healthy habits into adulthood. Additionally, oral health literacy must be a cornerstone of improving the utilization of care by underserved populations.”

The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration. “What is now becoming evident is that the data is bearing out what we feared would occur — dental offices have seen a dramatic increase in the cost of doing business while patient volumes have yet to recover fully,” he wrote.

Source: https://www.ada.org/advocacy