Organized Dentistry Coalition Urges Congress to Preserve Federal Oral Health Infrastructure

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Posted: May 12, 2026

Organized Dentistry Coalition Urges Congress to Preserve Federal Oral Health Infrastructure

Edited by Dentaltown staff

A coalition of 15 national dental organizations has called on Congress to maintain current funding and staffing levels for federal oral health programs across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, warning that proposed cuts in the president’s budget could weaken prevention, research and access to care.

The Organized Dentistry Coalition, led by the American Dental Association, sent the letter April 30 to leaders of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittees in the Senate and House. It was addressed to Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Tammy Baldwin and Reps. Robert Aderholt and Rosa DeLauro, the chairs and ranking members of the two subcommittees.

At the National Institutes of Health, the coalition called for sustained funding for the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and urged Congress to reject proposed caps on indirect research costs and mandates requiring NIH to forward fund all research grants. The letter argued such measures would significantly reduce the number of grants awarded.

At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the coalition pointed to the Division of Oral Health’s role in disease surveillance, school-based preventive care, infection control guidance and community water fluoridation. It cited federal data attributing 34 million lost school hours, 92 million lost work hours and about $46 billion in economic losses each year to untreated oral disease.

The letter also highlighted Health Resources and Services Administration Title VII general practice and pediatric dental programs, which the coalition said supported more than 5,500 dental students and professionals during the 2022–2023 academic year while serving over one million patients. The HRSA Dental Faculty Loan Repayment Program was identified as critical to addressing dental faculty shortages.

The coalition further asked the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to maintain a clearly identifiable chief dental officer with sufficient clinical expertise, authority and staff support to advise leadership across centers and offices.

Signatories include the ADA, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, Academy of General Dentistry, American Academy of Periodontology, American Association of Endodontists, American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, American Dental Education Association, American Student Dental Association and the Society of American Indian Dentists, among others. ADA federal affairs staff member Jennifer Fisher is listed as the contact for inquiries.

Sources:
Organized Dentistry Coalition, letter to Senate and House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee leaders on oral health infrastructure, April 30, 2026: ada.org/odc-oral-health-infrastructure-letter
ADA News, “Organized Dentistry Coalition calls for protection of federal oral health infrastructure,” April 30, 2026: adanews.ada.org/odc-oral-health-infrastructure
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