ORAL HEALTH has a key role in overall health and well-being.
That seems obvious now, a statement of fact that everybody is agreed upon.
When it was first formally declared in the United States, it was not that apparent to many. Indeed, even now, it takes a bit of convincing for many people to associate good teeth to good health.
The seminal “Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General” was released over 20 years ago, in 2020 in fact.
Now, more than 20 years after, the American government has collaborated with academic researchers and health practitioners to update the report. It will be released later this year.
Ahead of that, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) is providing glimpses of the important, soon-to-be-released report called “Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges”.
The report will examine progress in oral health over the past two decades, describe central challenges and opportunities that currently affect oral health, and articulate a vision for the future of oral health in America.
It is expected, for example, to facilitate discussion on access to oral health care for underserved communities. It will identify some of the challenges facing the United States in terms of the equitable delivery of oral health care to all Americans.
The report will be a valuable resource for patient advocates, clinicians, and public health professionals and leaders. Indeed, the NIDCR plans to use the report to promote public health priorities.
As it is, the report is a much-anticipated document, exhaustively researched by the NIDCR, a part of the US National Institutes of Health.
The new report will build on growing awareness of the importance of oral health in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Oral Health Resolution made early this year by member nations of the World Health Organization.
The NIDCR believes that the years of research that went into the report will provide important insights.
The insights will contribute to the dialogue that is emerging in the United States and worldwide about the ever-increasing importance of access to oral health care for all and the importance as well of oral health research.
The NIDCR has made the report’s release this year a top priority.
When the report is published, NIH will distribute its contents to thousands of mainstream reporters around the world. A news release will be distributed through the vast social media network of the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Every major public health organization focused on oral health, including our Philippine Dental Association, will be notified of the report’s release.
The report itself will be indexed for MEDLINE searches and posted to NIDCR’s website for viewing and downloading. MEDLINE is the National Library of Medicine’s bibliographic database that contains more than 28 million references to journal articles in life sciences.
After more than a year of researching and writing, copy editing and proofreading, the report is now in production, with tables and figures being added to text. Layout and design will begin soon.
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Dr. Joseph D. Lim is the former Associate Dean of the College of Dentistry, University of the East; former Dean, College of Dentistry, National University; Past President and Honorary Fellow of the Asian Oral Implant Academy; Honorary Fellow of the Japan College of Oral Implantologists; and Honorary Life Member of the Thai Association of Dental Implantology. For questions on dental health, e-mail jdlim2008@gmail.com or text 0917-8591515./PN
