Chicago-February 5, 2003- As the nation closes in on three years since the release of the landmark report Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General, the American Dental Hygienists' Association considers the enduring challenges of the oral health access crisis and details inroads toward a solution.

The May 2000 Surgeon General's report called untreated poor oral health a "silent X-factor promoting the onset of life-threatening diseases which are responsible for the deaths of millions of Americans each year." The report also called for a national initiative to fight the "silent epidemic" of poor oral health afflicting Americans of all socioeconomic backgrounds.

In response to the report and this important health issue, ADHA released a position paper in 2001 addressing the many factors that inhibit access to care. Indeed, the access issue has been central to ADHA's mission since 1923, representing its commitment to oral health issues and the dental hygiene profession for decades.

Due to the disparities in the health care delivery system, approximately 50 percent of Americans lack oral health care—a fundamental component of total health care—demonstrating how critical an issue access to oral health care is in the U.S.

The connection between oral health and total health is supported by recent research identifying periodontal disease as a risk factor for heart and lung disease; diabetes, premature, low-birth weight babies and a number of other systemic diseases. Considering this connection, it is clear why access to oral health care is imperative to increasing better total health for all Americans. In addition, routine oral health exams can uncover symptoms of osteoporosis, low bone mass, eating disorders and HIV.

Since access to care remains an important health issue in the U.S., ADHA is re-releasing its position paper, which details the many barriers to oral health care and recommends several solutions to the access issue. A copy of the position paper is available at www.adha.org/profissues/access_to_care.htm and a fact sheet that highlights several key points and statistics is available at www.adha.org/media/facts/access.htm.

ADHA is the largest national organization representing the professional interests of the more than 120,000 dental hygienists across the country. Dental hygienists are preventive oral health professionals, licensed in dental hygiene, who provide educational, clinical and therapeutic services that support the total health through the promotion of optimal oral health. For more information about oral health, visit ADHA at www.adha.org

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