Reducing oral health disparities: Achieving healthy people 2010 objectives

"Healthy People 2010 Oral Health and Health Communication Objectives" (HP 2010) are designed to reduce health disparities and improve quality of life for all Americans. In a joint symposium presented today at the combined meeting of the American Association for Dental Research and the American Dental Education Association, six nationally recognized scientists from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, Marquette University, the Universities of Washington and Illinois, the Center for Disease Control, and the National Center for Health Statistics will evaluate the progress being made so far in achieving those objectives.

Specifically, the scientists will: (1) provide an overview of the research initiatives, progress made toward reducing oral health disparities, and the potential impact for doing so by improving oral health literacy; (2) discuss academia's responsibility for initiatives to reduce oral health disparities and increase health literacy; (3) highlight progress at the midcourse of HP 2010; and (4) discuss future directions for national surveillance.

This symposium is relevant for both the research and academic communities because of the natural intersection between research and education, and the importance of continuing to work collaboratively to reduce the burden of oral disease, especially among the most needy.

This is a summary of Sequence #99, "Reducing Oral Health Disparities: Achieving Healthy People 2010 Objectives", to be presented at 9 a.m. on Friday, March 10, 2006, in Asia 3 of the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel, during the joint meeting of the American Association for Dental Research and the American Dental Education Association.

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