Is Your State a Winner When It Comes to Federal Support for Oral Health?

Posted & filed under Communities Supporting Fluoride, Infographics.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) supports the health of all Americans in innumerable ways, from cancer prevention to seatbelt promotion, and from researching disease outbreaks to supporting water fluoridation. One grant program in particular, administered through the CDC Division of Oral Health, helps support states in the efficient and effective use of scarce resources to promote and protect oral health.

This CDC program supports state community water fluoridation programs, which offer one of the greatest returns on investment of any preventive health care strategy. Studies show that every $1 invested in water fluoridation saves about $38, and the United States saves about $4.6 billion in dental costs every year as a result of access to fluoridated water. The CDC grants can also be used to support school-based dental sealant programs, which provide years of protection for children’s and adolescents’ teeth.

The CDC grant funding is critical to a state’s capacity to prevent oral health problems before they occur, rather than treating them when they are painful and expensive. Unfortunately, while Congress has authorized funding for all 50 states, there was only enough funding available last year for 21 states. The other 39 states were left without this crucial oral health funding.

See the infographic below, developed by the Pew Children’s Dental Campaign, to determine if your state wins or loses in the fight for federal oral health funding.

CDC Funding Infographic