WHO WE ARE

Oral Health America is a fully-independent non-profit organization based in Chicago, Illinois.  We are supported through contributions from individuals like you, who believe that oral health should be recognized as one of the lifetime factors critical to overall health. 

STAFF MEMBERS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

FIFTY YEARS OF ADVOCACY

Oral Health America was founded in 1955 as the "American Fund for Dental Health" by members of the American Dental Association, American Dental Education Association, the American Dental Trade Association, and the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company to raise funds for the improvement of dental education. In 1994, Oral Health America broke away from its founding institutions to follow a path of broad-based public advocacy through targeted programs and communications efforts to improve oral health for all Americans.

WHAT WE DO

Oral Health America develops, implements, and facilitates educational and service programs designed to raise awareness of oral health's importance to total health.  Following are OHA's major accomplishments over the past 15 years:

• Founder and director of Smiles Across America (SAA), the first nationwide campaign to coordinate schools, governments, care providers, and corporate and community partners in the fight against tooth decay. SAA incorporates disease prevention and health promotion services and community organizing to create sustainable, successful models for school-based or school-linked care. The program is praised by funders, policymakers, officials, health care providers, teachers, and parents.

• Architect of the Campaign for Oral Health Parity (2000- ), reaching over 50 percent of American households—over 180 million people—with messages about oral health's importance to total health. Praised by former Surgeon General David Satcher and quoted by Surgeon General Richard Carmona, OHA's communications tools and report cards are featured in USA Today, The New York Times , and Associated Press, affecting a significant increase in mainstream media coverage of oral health issues over the past five years .
• Recipient of two competitive five-year (1999-03; 2004-09) Cooperative Agreements with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• Founder (1994) and director of the National Spit Tobacco Education Program (NSTEP) with Major and Minor League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association, leveraging over $100 million in prime time PSAs, and responsible for changed perceptions of and reductions in spit tobacco use. Primary national distributor of spit tobacco education materials for teachers, coaches, health care providers and others involved in the health and welfare of children.
• Founder (2004) and lead agent of the National Periodontal Disease Coalition, a group of over 100 business and professional leaders dedicated to improving the recognition of and treatment practices for a disease that affects most adults.
• Recognized America 's Promise partner, committed to delivering 1 million donated dental sealants to 225,000 children by 2010—to date, have reached a half-way mark of 500,000 sealants.
• Organized and led Oral Health 2000 (1994-2000), a program to address the Healthy People 2000 oral health goals, with Dr. C. Everett Koop as Chairman.
• Major funder of the Institute of Medicine 's landmark Study of Dental Education .
• Charter founder/funder of Special Olympics Special Smiles with Special Olympics.

OHA's extensive relationships and partnerships with members of the public, private, and non-profit sector are unmatched in the oral health community in number and breadth. These collaborators support OHA's efforts as a pioneer in conducting advocacy programs and initiatives that are changing the way Americans think and act in regards to unmet oral health care needs.

Oral Health America is the nation's premier, independent advocacy organization dedicated to improving oral health for all Americans