Oral Health

The rate of dental caries among third-graders in the state does not meet the Health People 2020 goal for children ages six to nine. This has broad implications for not only oral health, but general health, over the life span. This resource calls out the importance of a Life Course approach to oral health in our efforts improve population health.

Oral health is inseparable from overall, systemic health. Oral diseases impact systemic health and quality of life.

Strategies include:

• Implementing and evaluating activities that have an impact on health behavior
• Evaluating and improving methods of monitoring oral diseases and conditions
• Increasing the number of community health centers with an oral health component
• Increasing the capacity of state dental health programs to provide preventive oral health services