Oral health section goal for Healthy People 2020

The goal of the section on oral health is to “prevent and control oral and craniofacial diseases, conditions, and injuries, and improve access to preventive services and dental care”.(5) It discusses that oral health is essential to a person’s overall health and well-being, and that significant improvement in the oral health of Americans over the past 50 years are a result of effective prevention and treatment efforts, such as water fluoridation.(6)

It focuses on prevention, access to care, and disparities in access to effective preventive and dental treatment services. The Healthy People 2020 Summary of Objectives in Oral Health summarize the goals in regard to Oral Health of Children and Adolescents and Adults, Access to Care, Oral Health Interventions, Monitoring, Surveillance Systems, and Public Health Infrastructure.(7) To see what you can do in the office and in the community, explore evidence-based information and recommendations related to oral health in the following areas: clinical recommendations; community interventions, consumer information.(8)

References
5. www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx.
6. US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Oral health: Preventing cavities, gum disease, tooth loss, and oral cancers: At a glance 2010 [Internet]. Atlanta: CDC; c2010 [cited 2010 March 8]. Available from www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/AAG/doh.htm#aag.
7. www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/pdfs/OralHealth.pdf.
8. www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/ebr.aspx