 |
|
|
|
|
CDC Funds Seven States to Strengthen Oral Disease Prevention Programs
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
today announced that seven states will receive a total of $1.4 million to
strengthen their oral health programs and reduce inequalities in the oral
health of their residents. Included are Alaska, Colorado, North Dakota,
Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Texas.
"These awards will help these states to develop and implement
proven preventive measures to improve the oral health of their
residents," said Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson.
"Achieving good oral health is more than just having strong teeth,
it's a vital link to our overall good health," Thompson said.
States will receive between $118,557 to $351,758 this year, with the
awards renewable for up to five years. For all states, the funding is
designed to improve basic state oral health services, including support for
program leadership and adding additional staff, monitoring oral health risk
factors, and developing and evaluating prevention programs. Oregon and
South Carolina qualified for additional funds this year to develop and
coordinate school-based dental sealant and community water fluoridation
programs, respectively.
Five other states—Arkansas, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, and New York
and the territory of Palau—received similar five-year awards in 2001 to
enhance their state oral health programs.
"The states receiving these awards will be able to address
significant problems in the oral health of their citizens," said
William R. Maas, DDS, MPH, director of CDC's oral health program. "For
instance, Alaska will be able to reduce the high rate of early childhood
tooth decay in children of Alaska Natives, Colorado can develop a program
to reduce the high rate of spit tobacco use among adolescents in their
state, and more Oregonians will gain access to fluoridated water, a proven
preventative for tooth decay."
"The support CDC is providing to these states will allow them to
educate their residents on the importance of oral health, establish oral
health coalitions and other partnerships, develop state oral health plans,
and monitor whether their states' oral health objectives are being met. As
a result, these states will be able to better target new activities aimed
at preventing oral disease in children and adults," Maas said.
The CDC oral health program seeks to improve the oral health of
communities by extending the use of proven strategies to prevent oral
diseases, enhancing monitoring of oral diseases, strengthening the nation's
oral health capacity, and guiding infection control in dentistry.
Historical Document
Page last reviewed: June 1, 2007
Content source:
Division of Oral Health,
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and
Health Promotion |
|
