A. Community Oral Health Policy

4. Using National Policies

It is important to make use of established and well-accepted national public health and oral health policies that can be referenced to influence state and local policy development and implementation. These include the 10 essential public health services that are the guiding principles embraced by the National Association of City and County Health Officers, and serve as the foundation for A Model Framework for Community Oral Health Programs: Based Upon the Ten Essential Public Health Services. The Framework provides policy support for developing, integrating, expanding, or enhancing community oral health programs within LPHAs.

Other national oral health policies adopted by government agencies such as CDC and HRSA, and by member organizations such as ADA and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, can also be used to guide and support local policies to improve oral health. For example, when approaching a local school board about developing a school-linked sealant program, it is useful to share national policies supporting dental sealants and school-linked, school-based sealant programs.