School of Dental Medicine Newsroom

Oral Health in America Editors Issue Guidance for Improving Oral Health for All

NIDCR Director Rena D’Souza, DDS, PhD, along with editors of the NIH report Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges, have authored a series of perspective papers and accompanying editorials that draw on the report’s findings to propose strategies for addressing the nation’s oral health challenges. The papers, published in four dental specialty journals, offer audience-specific recommendations for dental practitioners, educators, researchers, and public health specialists. The recommendations focus on changes needed in dental health care, education, research, and policy to adapt to a changing oral health landscape, including an older and more diverse population, new ways of delivering care, and an emerging understanding of social determinants of oral health.