Advancing Oral Health in America - Inst. of Med. (NAP, 2011) WW

267 Pages·2011·1.29 MB·English

Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Advancing Oral Health in America

Committee on an Oral Health Initiative

Board on Health Care Services

Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Advancing Oral Health in America

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Govern-
ing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the
councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineer-
ing, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for
the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropri-
ate balance.

This study was supported by Contract No. HHSH25034003T between the National
Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Any
opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication
are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations
or agencies that provided support for this project.

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International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-18630-7

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Copyright 2011 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

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Cover art: Scientific micrograph of tooth enamel. Getty Images.

The serpent has been a symbol of long life, healing, and knowledge among almost
all cultures and religions since the beginning of recorded history. The serpent ad-
opted as a logotype by the Institute of Medicine is a relief carving from ancient
Greece, now held by the Staatliche Museen in Berlin.

Suggested citation: IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2011. Advancing Oral Health in
America. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Advancing Oral Health in America

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do.”
—Goethe

Advising the Nation. Improving Health.

Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Advancing Oral Health in America

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society
of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to
the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare.
Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Acad-
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and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy
of Sciences.

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of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding en-
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sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the
federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineer-
ing programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research,
and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is presi-
dent of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of
Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in
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tute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its
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initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V.
Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sci-
ences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the
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cil is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr.
Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of
the National Research Council.

www.national-academies.org

Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Advancing Oral Health in America

v

COMMITTEE ON AN ORAL HEALTH INITIATIVE

RICHARD D. KRUGMAN (Chair), Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs,

School of Medicine, University of Colorado at Denver

JOSÉ F. CORDERO, Dean, Graduate School of Public Health, University

of Puerto Rico

CLAUDE EARL FOX, Executive Director, Florida Public Health

Institute; Research Professor, Miller School of Medicine, University of
Miami

TERRY FULMER, Erline Perkins McGriff Professor and Dean, College

of Nursing, New York University

VANESSA NORTHINGTON GAMBLE, University Professor of Medical

Humanities, Professor of American Studies and Health Policy, The
George Washington University

PAUL E. GATES, Chair, Department of Dentistry, Bronx-Lebanon

Hospital Center; Chair, Department of Dentistry, Dr. Martin L. King,
Jr. Community Health Center; Associate Professor, Albert Einstein
College of Medicine

MARY C. GEORGE, Associate Professor Emeritus, Department of

Dental Ecology, School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill

ALICE M. HOROWITZ, Research Associate Professor, School of Public

Health, University of Maryland, College Park

ELIZABETH MERTZ, Assistant Professor in Residence, Preventive

and Restorative Dental Sciences, School of Dentistry and Social and
Behavioral Sciences, School of Nursing; Research Faculty, Center for
the Health Professions, University of California, San Francisco

MATTHEW J. NEIDELL, Assistant Professor, Mailman School of Public

Health, Columbia University; Faculty Research Fellow, National
Bureau of Economic Research

MICHAEL PAINTER, Senior Program Officer, Robert Wood Johnson

Foundation

SARA ROSENBAUM, Chair, Department of Health Policy; Harold

and Jane Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy, The George
Washington University School of Public Health and Health Sciences

HAROLD C. SLAVKIN, Professor, School of Dentistry, University of

Southern California

CLEMENCIA M. VARGAS, Associate Professor, University of Maryland

Dental School

Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Advancing Oral Health in America

vi

ROBERT WEYANT, Associate Dean, Public Health and Outreach;

Professor and Chair, Department of Dental Public Health and
Information Management, School of Dental Medicine, University of
Pittsburgh

Study Staff

TRACY A. HARRIS, Study Director
BEN WHEATLEY, Program Officer
MEG BARRY, Associate Program Officer
AMY ASHEROFF, Senior Program Assistant
REDA URMANAVICIUTE, Administrative Assistant (through December

2010)

JILLIAN LAFFREY, Administrative Assistant (from January 2011)
ROGER C. HERDMAN, Director, Board on Health Care Services

Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Advancing Oral Health in America

vii

Reviewers

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen

for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with
procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review
Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid
and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published
report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional
standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge.
The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect
the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following
individuals for their review of this report:

SUZANNE BOULTER, Concord Hospital Family Health Centers
JAMES J. CRALL, University of California, Los Angeles, and

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry

SUSAN J. CRIM, University of Tennessee Health Science Center
BURTON L. EDELSTEIN, Columbia University and Children’s

Dental Health Project

JOHN W. ERDMAN, JR., University of Illinois
ROBERT GENCO, University at Buffalo
HAROLD GOODMAN, Maryland Department of Health and

Mental Hygiene

CATHERINE HAYES, Independent Consultant
AMID ISMAIL, Temple University
PAULA S. JONES, Private Practice
DUSHANKA KLEINMAN, University of Maryland

Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Advancing Oral Health in America

viii
REVIEWERS

WILLIAM R. MAAS, Pew Center on the States
DONALD WAYNE MARIANOS, Consultant
R. GARY ROZIER, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
LISA A. TEDESCO, Emory University

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive

comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions
or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its
release. The review of this report was overseen by HAROLD C. SOX, Dart-
mouth Medical School (retired), and GEORGES C. BENJAMIN, American
Public Health Association. Appointed by the National Research Council
and the Institute of Medicine, they were responsible for making certain that
an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance
with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully
considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely
with the authoring committee and the institution.

Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Advancing Oral Health in America

ix

Foreword

Oral health care is often excluded from our thinking about health.

Taken together with vision care and mental health care, it seems that prob-
lems above the neck are commonly regarded as peripheral to health care
and health care policy. This division is reinforced by the fact that dentists,
dental hygienists, and dental assistants are separated from other health care
professionals in virtually every way: where they are educated and trained,
how their services are reimbursed, and where they provide oral health care.
This separation is at odds with the fact that good oral health has been
shown to directly affect a person’s overall health.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is involved

in oral health care in a variety of ways, from financing safety net care to
developing the oral health workforce to providing public health surveil-
lance. Previous efforts by HHS to improve oral health in America have
produced some benefit, but not enough. Many populations, especially the
most vulnerable and underserved populations, suffer significant oral health
problems. Major barriers to care include low rates of dental insurance, high
out-of-pocket payments (even for those with insurance), relative lack of
training of the general health care workforce in oral health, and a lack of
awareness about the importance of good oral health—both by health care
professionals and the public.

The Health Resources and Services Administration asked the Institute

of Medicine (IOM) to provide advice on where to focus its efforts in oral
health. After the IOM convened the Committee on an Oral Health Initia-
tive, HHS announced a broad Oral Health Initiative and expressed opti-
mism that the committee’s work would be able to inform this endeavor. The