The danger
The very real fear here is that downgrading the status to the lesser branch designation will ultimately, if unintentionally, result in oral health issues being dangerously marginalized as the CDC endeavors to combat chronic diseases.
The fact is that caries is a chronic disease — five times more prevalent than asthma in children. Tooth decay and periodontal disease are also linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes, respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. It is also highly preventable.
The call
Oral health must not be reduced in significance and impact from a division to a “branch” by the CDC. This change threatens to wreak havoc on our industry goals in the areas of research, education, and access to care … not to mention our practices’ bottom line. It compromises our mission: that of providing the best care possible in the most economical fashion while making a fair living.
The co-chairs of the Oral Health Caucus, Mike Simpson, DDS (R-ID) and Elijah Cummings (D-MD), have penned a letter to the CDC which calls upon the chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Committee, the Honorable Denny Rehberg, and ranking member of the committee, the Honorable Rosa DeLauro, to preserve the current division status of Oral Health in the CDC.
I call upon all dentists to review the available material, examine the issue, and respond accordingly. Please join with the NDA, the ADA, fellow dentists and Representatives Simpson and Cummings in doing your part to ensure that oral health remains a priority in the scope of better health for all Americans, and that it remains a separate and empowered division of the CDC. Please take a few moments to contact your local U.S. Representative with your concerns. Thank you.
Take action
Write your member of Congress and ask that he or she sign on to the letter from Reps. Simpson and Cummings, or contact Nate Greene in Rep. Simpson’s office at (202) 225-5531 or Heidi Ross in Rep. Cummings’s office at (202) 225-4741 for more information about the “Dear Colleague” letter.
Dr. Rob Veis is CEO of the Appliance Therapy Group® (ATG). Reach him through www.appliancetherapy.com or by calling (800) 423-3270.
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