Policy Committee
ASTDD is the principle voice in promoting the leadership capacity of state dental programs and the impact that their collective oral disease prevention and health promotion activities have on the nation's oral health. ASTDD works with a broad array of federal, state and local public and private partners to educate decision-makers on dental public health issues and concerns of state oral health programs. ASTDD develops and adopts a variety of policy documents including issue briefs, position papers, policy statements and resolutions to reflect the Association's priorities and stance on dental public health issues.
The Policy Committee's function is to oversee the creation of policy statements on various issues for submission to the membership for approval. The committee will utilize the resolutions of the Association insofar as possible, taking into consideration that the resolutions date back to the very beginning of the organization, and while some are still valid, many no longer apply. Additionally, the environment and the issues have changed over time.
Listed below are the definitions for the various policy actions:
- Issue Brief - An issue brief is a concise summary that outlines key findings, implications or significance, and policy considerations of a specific policy issue.
- Position Paper - A position paper is a detailed report or major documentation and analysis of a broad policy issue on which the organization should take a position. It may recommend a course of action on a particular issue.
- Policy Statement - A policy statement represents the organization's official stand on an issue.
- Resolution - A resolution is a formal expression of opinion, will, or intent; a consensus of opinion used to stimulate support further action. Resolutions may be policy or non-policy in nature.
- Policy Resolution - A policy resolution is a concise statement of the organization's stance on specific issues affecting the oral health of the public. It may inform, exhort, show support (or lack of support) for programs or legislation, or describe a course of action
- Non-policy resolution - A non-policy resolution is a concise statement on non-policy matters, such as the commemoration of a specific event. A non-policy resolution could be the support for a specific public health event or letters or support for the significant event.
Policy Statements
Issue Briefs
Links and Resources
Using Oral Health Data to inform Decisions and Policy Development The Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors developed this resource to provide tips for the use and presentation of complex oral health data so that the information is understandable and meaningful for a non-dental audience. It also provides a list of resources ranging from a communications toolkit to developing a "plain English" document. (May 2012)
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) develops policies and guidelines and advocates for programs that promote optimal oral health and health care for infants, children and adolescents, including those with special health care needs. The Web site contains a section on definitions, oral health policies and clinical guidelines.
American Dental Association
- The American Dental Association (ADA) encourages community health improvement, promotes the art and science of dentistry, and represents the interests of oral health professionals and the public. The Web site contains an entire section on ADA positions, policies and statements.
- The Advocacy section on the ADA Web site provides information on federal and state legislation and regulation, issues and actions.
American Dental Hygienists' Association
The American Dental Hygienists' Association (ADHA) advances the art and science of dental hygiene, promotes standards of education and practice in the profession and provides professional support and education programs. The Web site contains a section on Governmental Affairs that includes information about dental hygiene practice acts, advocacy, legislative tracking and ADHA position statements.
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
- Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) formulates and influences sound public health policy and ensures excellence in state-based public health practice. The members of ASTHO serve as the face and voice of state and territorial public health. The web site contains a section on Advocacy listing the ASTHO policy and position statements.
Children's Dental Health Project
The Children's Dental Health Project (CDHP) was created to serve as a unique national voice for children's oral health to bridge the gap between research and solutions by promoting public policies that support sustainable solutions. CDHP formulates research-based, policy options and provides the technical assistance needed for advocates and policymakers to ensure that the oral health of children is a priority. This website provides the most up-to-date information regarding legislation and any related policy activities and provides recommendations for advocates and policymakers to advance the oral health of all children and their families.
- The National Maternal and Child Oral Health Policy Center at MCHB
The National Oral Health Policy Center at the Children's Dental Health Project promotes the understanding of effective policy options to address ongoing disparities in children's oral health. The three-year initiative has set out to map a course for improving family oral health by building knowledge and skills of professionals with the ability to steer systems changes. The Policy Center focuses on building capacity and enhancing knowledge of policymakers and key stakeholders to promote effective oral health policies and on expanding the community engaged in promoting oral health.
- Healthcare Refrom Toolbox
Developed by the Children's Dental Health Project, this resource outlines the oral health provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordability Care Act (Health Care Reform) by category for all ages and overlays the provisions with the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) specifically for children. It highlights "new" authorizations as well as "fixes" to existing law while providing a timeline for implementation for each of the provisions.
- The Policy Tool Guidebook
This resource provides templates and reproducible resources for use in a facilitated discussion with oral health stakeholders (e.g. oral health coalition) to help prioritize policy options using specific criteria. The tool is provided in two parts: to assess the opportunities for policy change and then develop an action plan to implement those changes. This resource was developed by the Children's Dental Health Project and CDC.
- TrendNotes
TrendNotes October 2009
Better Health at Lower costs: Policy Options for Managing Childhood Tooth Decay
TrendNotes April 2010
Strategies for Sustaining and Enhancing Prevention of Childhood Tooth Decay during Challenging Times
TrendNotes August 2010
Opportunities for Preventing Childhood Dental Caries through Implementation of Health Care Reform
TrendNotes May 2011
Childrens Oral Health in the Health Home
TrendNotes May 2012
Quality Iprovement in Chiildren's Oral Health: Moving from Volume to Value
Division of Oral Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Division of Oral Health works to prevent and control oral diseases and conditions and reduce disparities by building the knowledge, tools and networks that promote healthy behaviors and effective public health practices and programs. The Division provides training, resource development and technical assistance to states to improve oral health. CDC supports research to examine prevention strategies to assess effectiveness and efficiency and collects data to monitor oral health.
Healthy People 2020
Healthy People 2020 (HP2020) is a comprehensive set of disease prevention and health promotion objectives for the Nation to achieve by 2020. Created by scientists both inside and outside of Government, it identifies a wide range of public health priorities and specific, measurable objectives including an oral health topic area. Some oral health objectives are contained within other Healthy People topic areas. Healthy People 2020 Objectives can be used to assist states in setting policy priorities.
National Academy for State Health Policy – Oral Health
The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) is an independent academy of state health policymakers working together to identify emerging issues, develop policy solutions, and improve state health policy and practice. NASHP provides a forum for constructive, non-partisan work across branches of state government on critical health issues facing states. A section of this website is dedicated to oral health issues providing a variety of reports and policy options.
National Conference of State Legislatures
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) is a bipartisan organization working to improve the quality and effectiveness of state legislatures, promote policy innovation and communication among state legislatures, and ensure state legislatures a strong, cohesive voice in the federal system. NCSL provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues. NCSL publishes policy statements on a variety of issues, including oral health.
National Maternal and Child Health Oral Health Resource Center
The National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center responds to the needs of states and communities in addressing current and emerging public oral health issues with the goal of improving oral health services for infants, children, adolescents, and their families. The resource center collaborates with federal, state, and local agencies; national and state organizations and associations; and foundations to gather, develop, and share quality and valued information and materials.
Oral Health America
Oral Health America (OHA) works to improve oral health by educating and empowering communities to provide access to care and advocating for policies that create oral health parity. Oral Health America connects communities with resources to increase access to care, education, and advocacy for all Americans, especially those at highest risk for oral disease. )
Pew Center on the States – Children's Dental Health
The Pew Children's Dental Campaign is a national effort to help states increase access to dental care for low-income children who face significant challenges. The Campaign uses research to bring critical issues to policymakers' attention and advocates in states to advance fiscally-sound policies and provide return on investment to taxpayers. This website features a variety of reports on cost-effective solutions.
