Following the successful momentum from the 2024 AcademyHealth Annual Meeting, the OHIG is set to play a pivotal role in the 2025 ARM Planning Committee. This group’s leadership will be instrumental in advancing interdisciplinary efforts to integrate oral health into health systems and address disparities. Collaborative efforts with other interest groups such as Child Health Services, Disability Research, Global Health and Health Care, Health Economics, Health Equity, Health Workforce, Long-Term Services and Supports, Mental Health and Substance Use, and State Health Research and Policy will be crucial in generating evidence-based strategies for improving population health outcomes and promoting equity. The OHIG's goal is to broaden the scope of oral health policy by developing comprehensive, integrated health frameworks that bridge the gap between oral and general health care.
To support this ambitious policy agenda, OHIG’s efforts align with global strategies such as those outlined by the World Health Organization (WHO), focusing on leadership and technical assistance in policy design, monitoring of oral health disease burdens, and assessing cost-effective interventions. Following the recent U.S. elections and suggestions for new appointments in federal health leadership, the promotion of strong evidence should play a prominent role in national health conversations. As policy shifts and changes in the broader economic environment—including water fluoridation, dental coverage, and the supply chain—continue to shape the dental field, the OHIG must play a prominent role in advancing evidence-based advocacy, fostering resilience within the dental sector, and ensuring equitable access to care while navigating these transformative dynamics.
Critical areas to address include developing evidence-based national policies, monitoring trends in access to care, and implementing integrative models in oral health. Strengthening digital health technologies and addressing environmental concerns—such as the phase-down of dental amalgams per the Minamata Convention—are also key focal points. Digital media has the potential to improve early recognition of oral diseases and the potential to improve education and public health communication strategies. Large language models have tremendous potential to automate more mundane tasks while improving clinical efficiency. The environmental impact of health care delivery, including dentistry, needs to address concerns about medical/dental waste, contributions of mercury from dental restorations as well as risk assessment of replacement dental materials, as well as issues such as aerosol specific to the dental operatory and environmental safety of dental unit waterlines.
One of the most urgent challenges we face is the lack of access to oral health services among vulnerable populations. Research has shown that disparities in oral health care can significantly impact overall health, particularly among low-income and minority groups in the United States. Addressing these inequities requires a comprehensive approach incorporating oral health into primary care settings and integrating it with life-course health programs—such as the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing initiative—to ensure access across all life stages.
OHIG’s established Advisory Committee will provide leadership and an impactful platform for the abovementioned activities and ensure these efforts remain central to broader health equity conversations. The group’s interdisciplinary collaboration focuses on fostering sustainable policy changes through innovative solutions, drawing from the latest research and practical interventions to reduce oral health disparities. These actions are critical in ensuring that oral health is recognized as a component of general health and a fundamental human right.
Health systems researchers, policymakers, and professionals:
We invite you to join us in this crucial mission. Your collaboration with OHIG will be instrumental in furthering these goals and contributing to developing effective and inclusive health systems. Together, we can influence meaningful policy reforms and implement public health interventions that improve access to comprehensive oral health care.
To new or returning AcademyHealth members to the Oral Health Interest Group:
The Advisory Committee encourages dialogue as we work towards increasing awareness to the wide scope of oral diseases, revitalizing cross-disciplinary engagement, and participating in planning for the 2025 ARM.
Submit a related abstract for ARM 2025 by Wednesday, January 8 here. Registration for ARM 2025, which will take place in Minneapolis June 7-10, will open in January as well.