CHICAGO, April 1, 2025 — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of Oral Health provides leadership to improve the nation's oral health programs that support proven prevention programs, such as oral health literacy, community water fluoridation and dental sealants. The Division also provides guidelines on safety and infection control for dental practice settings and delivers essential data that helps track oral health progress nationwide and informs policy development.
“I am disappointed with the Department of Government Efficiency’s targeting of oral health workforce reductions,” said Brett Kessler, D.D.S., president of the American Dental Association. “Blunt actions like this do not make Americans healthy. They make us sick. The mouth is the gateway to the body. When the mouth is healthier, the body is too,” said Dr. Kessler.
The American Dental Association urges the HHS Secretary and the President to immediately reverse these cuts and restore critical public health. Oral health must remain a national priority — valued, supported and promoted across all levels of the Administration.
“I see in my patients, when the mouth is ignored, the body suffers, inflammation increases and compromised people get sicker, and our collective quality of life plummets,” said Dr. Kessler.
The ADA welcomes the opportunity to make America healthy with Secretary Kennedy and President Trump. For more information visit ADA.org.