Oral health is key to family prosperity

The Children’s Dental Health Project recently submitted comments on a newly announced effort by the U.S. Surgeon General and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The federal project is a call to action aimed at demonstrating the importance of health to overall community prosperity. It represents a significant opportunity to highlight how addressing chronic conditions like dental disease, in tandem with the social determinants of health, can improve both the health and economic wellbeing of communities. As CDHP continues to explore the ways in which oral health impacts the success of children and families, we applaud this effort. We urge CDC to incorporate oral health in its exploration of how to maximize the impact of community-level solutions.

CDHP recently highlighted many of the ways in which oral health is tied to social and economic outcomes like education, employment, earnings, and childhood trauma. In addition, we have outlined some of the ways in which our health care system must move beyond the traditional paradigm of care delivery. We believe that, to best serve all families, it’s time to think beyond dental care for dental care’s sake.

"Addressing chronic conditions like dental disease, in tandem with the social determinants of health, can improve both the health and economic wellbeing of communities."

We are excited to continue to working with the oral health community and federal agencies like the CDC on important efforts such as the second iteration of the Surgeon General’s report on oral health. CDHP is committed to eliminating dental disease as a barrier to success for all communities. We look forward to every opportunity to explore the ways in which oral health can be integrated into whole-family and community-level interventions aimed at overall wellbeing.

Download CDHP's comments on the Surgeon General’s Call to Action: Community Health and Prosperity.