Oral Health America Brings Together Oral Health Leaders to Discuss Importance
of Oral Health for All Americans
CHICAGO, September 12, 2013 — To celebrate the launch of the annual Fall for Smiles® campaign and
bring attention to the country's lack of oral health care resources for older adults, Oral Health America
(OHA) and Oral Healthcare Can't Wait, an initiative of the Dental Trade Alliance, hosted a briefing
entitled "A State of Decay: Coming of Age Without Oral Healthcare" on Capitol Hill on Sept. 11. The
event honored Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) for his work in addressing oral health disparities
across the country.
“I am deeply honored by Oral Health America’s recognition of my work to ensure that all Americans
have access to quality dental care,” Congressman Cummings said. “I commend Oral Health America for
its leadership in fighting for underserved communities and for effectively raising the profile of oral
healthcare. I am extremely proud of the progress we have made. We are in the process of removing
many of the cultural, educational, and institutional barriers to care, but there is much to be done. My
commitment to oral health remains strong and I look forward to our continued work together to
strengthen our nation’s oral healthcare system.”
"This day on Capitol Hill is invaluable for us as an organization to come together with policy makers and
leaders in the dental industry to bring attention to the importance of oral health on a national level,"
said OHA President and CEO Beth Truett. "Our country's older adult population is growing exponentially
and is facing difficulties in accessing oral health care in addition to more complicated oral health issues
as they age. According to our recent survey, 35 percent of low-income older adults have not been to the
dentist in four or more years, with most citing financial concerns.1 Older Americans are being forgotten
and OHA will not standby.”
The event also featured speakers Dr. R. Ivan Lugo of Procter & Gamble, Dr. Roderick King from the
Florida Institute of Public Health, Gary Price of the Dental Trade Alliance, and Fay Donohue from
DentaQuest, who spoke about payment systems and recommendations for older adult oral health.
“I am honored to join Oral Health America in advocating for better quality and more access to oral
health for seniors. Dental problems are a serious health risk that account for a growing number of
emergency room visits each year, but the difficulties seniors face in access to care is too often
overlooked,” said Donohue, CEO of DentaQuest, the third largest dental benefits administrator in the
United States. “Today’s retiring baby boomers and older adults are an influential and growing
demographic and I encourage them to continue advocating for strong policies that support oral
health initiatives for seniors.”
Prior to the briefing, OHA's board of directors met with 38 members of the Senate and Congress to
discuss funding oral health care provisions within the Affordable Care Act. OHA requested the following
appropriations: funding for Title VII of the Public Health Service Act which funds the education and
training of health professionals, including all members of the dental team, post-doctoral residencies and
trainings, faculty development, and general and pediatric faculty loan repayment programs; funding for
grants to study alternative oral health workforce providers to serve in rural and undeserved areas;
funding for school-based sealant programs; and funding for dental caries disease management grants.
In addition to the event's lead sponsor, Crest + OralB, Fall for Smiles would not be possible without the
generous support of the following companies: 3M ESPE, the American Association of Dental Office
Managers, Atlantic Precious Metal Refining, Crest + OralB, DentaQuest, Denticator, the Hispanic Dental
Association, Hu-Friedy, Oral Healthcare Can't Wait, OSAP, Midmark, the National Dental Association, and Trident.
About Oral Health America
OHA’s mission is to change lives by connecting communities with resources to increase access to oral health care, education and advocacy for all Americans, especially those most vulnerable. For more information about Oral Health America, please visit www.oralhealthamerica.org.
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1- Oral Health America public opinion survey sponsored by Oral Healthcare Can't Wait, 3M ESPE, and Crest + OralB, September 2013
