A bill to reauthorize the oral health promotion and disease prevention activities of the CDC was introduced in the Senate.
Senate Bill 3597, also known as the Promoting Dental Health Act, provides support to state and territorial health departments to track oral disease across populations and implement evidence-based oral health solutions, according to a Feb. 9 letter from the American Dental Association to lawmakers.
The CDC's Division of Oral Health has helped health departments develop, maintain and upgrade their community water fluoridation systems and dental sealant programs in the past.
The division has also been responsible for creating infection control guidelines to protect patients and fund specialty training for dental health professionals.
If the bill is passed, the reauthorization would last through 2028.