Prevention and education

See how the ADA is preventing oral disease through education and community-based interventions.
In Congress

July 10, 2024 — Letter to the House Appropriations Committee on the mark-up of the FY25 Labor, Health and Human Services spending bill. (PDF)

July 9, 2024 — Coalition letter to the House Appropriations Committee on the mark-up of the FY25 Labor, Health and Human Services spending bill. (PDF)

May 23, 2024 — Coalition letter sent to Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee leadership in support of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act (H.R. 7153/S. 3679). (PDF)

February 15, 2024Coalition letter to Congress expressing support for H.R. 7153, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act (PDF).

February 5, 2024Letter expressing support for S. 3597, the Promoting Dental Health Act. This bill would reauthorize the oral health promotion and disease prevention activities of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through 2028 (PDF).

June 5, 2023 Letter in support of H.R. 3633, the Promoting Resources to Expand Vaccination, Education, and New Treatments for HPV Cancers Act, or the PREVENT HPV Cancers Act, which would establish a national public awareness campaign on HPV vaccination (PDF).

March 6, 2023Coalition Letter supporting legislation to make facilities of the Veterans Health Administration completely smoke free (PDF).

October 11, 2022 Letter from the Organized Dentistry Coalition (ODC) to the Senate in support of the Oral Health Literacy and Awareness Act (PDF).

September 23, 2022 Letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member on access to oral health care for people with disabilities (PDF).

September 20, 2022 Letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee in support of H.R. 5141, the MOBILE Health Care act, which would give community health centers more flexibility in using New Access Points grants for mobile health care units. (PDF)

December 10, 2021 Letter urging the Senate leadership to bring the PREVENT HPV Act up for a vote. (PDF) This bill would authorize a public service campaign on HPV vaccination.



Fluoridation advocacy

The ADA works closely with state and local dental societies to promote the community water fluoridation of municipal water supplies at recommended levels. The ADA also supports capacity-building grants to help communities establish, upgrade, and maintain an effective public water fluoridation infrastructure.

May 30, 2023Letter sent to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expressing concerns about a new EPA proposal to require water authorities to install new filtration technologies to remove several polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from drinking water. (PDF)

Tobacco use and vaping

Tobacco use is causally associated with higher rates of tooth decay, receding gums, periodontal disease, mucosal lesions, bone damage, tooth loss, jaw bone loss and more. That is why the ADA is working with dentists, educators, public health officials, lawmakers and the public to prevent and, hopefully, eliminate the use of all tobacco products.

While the oral health effects of vaping are not fully studied, there is some evidence that vaping increases the likelihood that tobacco users will not be able to quit. There have also been anecdotal reports of orofacial damage when these devices have suddenly overheated, sometimes to the point of exploding.

Aside from the intended use of FDA-approved nicotine cessation products, the ADA discourages the use of all nicotine products made or derived from tobacco.

In Congress

August 2, 2022Coalition letter urging FDA to prohibit characterizing flavors from being added to cigars. (PDF)

August 2, 2022Coalition letter urging FDA to prohibit menthol from being used as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes. (PDF)

March 7, 2022Coalition letter urging House and Senate leaders to advance legislation authorizing the FDA to regulate synthetic nicotine. (PDF)

July 16, 2021Coalition letter expressing support for S. 1314, the Tobacco Tax Equity Act of 2021, which would increase the federal excise tax on cigarettes and establish a federal tax on vaping products. (PDF)

June 30, 2021Coalition letter urging House appropriators to reject any amendments to weaken FDA's authority to regulate cigars or any other tobacco products. (PDF)

June 7, 2021Coalition letter expressing support for H.R. 3883, which would make Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities fully smoke-free. (PDF)

June 7, 2021Coalition letter expressing support for S. 2043, which would make Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities fully smoke-free. (PDF)

March 17, 2021Coalition letter expressing support for H.R. 2125, the Quit Because of COVID-19 Act, which would enhance Medicaid coverage for tobacco cessation services until two years after the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration ends. (PDF)

Federal agencies

September 12, 2022Coalition Letter in support of FDA issuing a proposed rule to reduce the nicotine levels in cigarettes and other combustible tobacco products to minimally or non-addictive levels. (PDF)

November 9, 2020Coalition letter urging the FDA to proceed with its rule characterizing menthol as an added flavor in tobacco products. (PDF)

October 15, 2019Coalition comments on a FDA proposed rule governing the health warnings and color images required on cigarette packages and advertisements. (PDF)

September 24, 2019Coalition letter supporting the White House proposal to remove flavored e-cigarettes from the market. (PDF)

Oral Disease Prevention

The American Dental Association creates evidence-based resources for providers and the public to promote oral disease prevention.

Dental Sealants and Disease Prevention (PDF)

School-Based Oral Health

July 5, 2023ADA and AAPD comments to HRSA in response to their information collection request on Title V maternal and child health grants. The information collection request included a proposal to change the oral health national performance measure to a state performance measure, which would deprioritize oral health for mothers and children. (PDF)