View this email .
American Dental Education Association

Volume 3, No. 71, February 26, 2024

President Trump Signs the “Make America Healthy Again” Executive Order

 

President Donald Trump has signed an establishing the "Make America Healthy Again" Commission, led by newly confirmed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The Commission's primary mission is to advise the President on addressing the ongoing childhood chronic disease crisis. Specifically, it will investigate potential causes of these diseases, including diet, environmental factors, medical treatments and corporate influence. Additionally, the Commission is tasked with informing the public about the crisis and providing recommendations on policy and strategy to mitigate contributing factors.

 

As part of its responsibilities, the Commission must submit an initial assessment, called the "Make Our Children Healthy Again Assessment," within 100 days of the order. A “Make Our Children Healthy Again” comprehensive strategy based on this assessment must then be presented to the president within 180 days. The Commission comprises key government officials, including Kennedy as Chairman, as well as secretaries from the Departments of Agriculture, Education, Housing and Veterans Affairs. Other high-ranking officials from agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration will also contribute.

 

The executive order grants Kennedy the authority to hold public hearings, roundtables and meetings, allowing input from health experts and government accountability leaders.

 

The language of the order states that this is the “initial mission of the Commission,” suggesting that childhood chronic disease is just the beginning of the Commission’s broader mission of addressing health-related concerns.

 

 

 

CDC Vaccine Advisory Meeting Postponed by HHS

 

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on vaccine policy, has had its scheduled February . This decision comes shortly after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took office as the new Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Kennedy has previously criticized ACIP, claiming that most of its members have conflicts of interest—a claim disputed by experts familiar with the committee’s vetting process.

 

The for the meeting, originally set for Feb. 26 – 28, was expected to address multiple vaccine recommendations, including a newly approved chikungunya vaccine, a meningitis vaccine from GSK and updates on influenza and RSV vaccines.

 

A key issue leading to the postponement was the inability to open the portal for public comments. Because HHS slow-walked authorizing the meeting to take place, the portal was not open on time. ACIP meetings require public comment periods before any voting can take place, and the lack of access to this process ultimately led the ACIP secretariat to request a delay.

 

No new date for the meeting has been provided. This delay has raised concerns among public health experts about the future of ACIP and its role in shaping vaccine policy.

 

Additionally, the CDC has been asked to justify the existence of multiple federal advisory committees, including ACIP. The CDC oversees 20 advisory committees on various public health topics, and members of these committees are not salaried employees but may receive small honorariums for their participation.

 

 

Licensure Bills Advance in Mississippi, Utah and Virginia

 

The following dental licensure bills have progressed or passed at a state level:

  • On Feb. 13, Mississippi House of Representatives the American Association of Dental Boards’ Interstate Dental & Dental Hygiene Licensure Compact. While ADEA believes interstate mobility is important for oral health professionals, ADEA prefers and has for a different compact, the (DDH). This bill has been sent to the State Senate and referred to the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee for consideration.
  • The Virginia General Assembly that requires the state’s Board of Dentistry to convene a working group including the Virginia Dental Association and the Virginia Dental Hygienists' Association to assess expedited pathways for licensure for dentists and dental hygienists. The working group will be required to review and make recommendations for updating licensure by credentialing statutes governing dentists and the licensure statutes governing dental hygienists. Additionally, the group will study options for and make recommendations on a pathway for qualified internationally trained dentists to practice dental hygiene under the supervision of a licensed dentist. This bill will be sent to Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) for consideration.
  • In Utah, the both chambers of the State Legislature have that standardizes criminal background checks for many licensed professionals, including dentists and dental hygienists. Under the bill, any applicant for a dental or dental hygiene license must consent to and complete a criminal background check and disclose any criminal history requested by the Utah Division of Professional Licensing.

 

Dental Hygiene Bills Moving in Mississippi and Montana

 

The Mississippi House of Representatives that would allow qualified dental hygienists to perform nearly all dental hygiene services that are within a dental hygienist’s scope of practice under general supervision, rather than direct supervision. Services would be limited to patients of record, for no more than 10 consecutive business days, and the administration of nitrous oxide inhalation and local anesthesia would be excluded from the bill.

 

A dental hygienist could qualify to perform services under general supervision if they have done all the following:

  • The dental hygienist has practiced dental hygiene in Mississippi for at least five years.
  • The dental hygienist has current CPR certification and complies with the established protocols for emergencies that the supervising dentist has established.
  • The supervising dentist examined the patient of record no more than seven months before the dental hygienist provides dental hygiene services.
  • The dental hygienist provides dental hygiene services to the patient of record in accordance with a written treatment protocol prescribed by the supervising dentist for the patient.
  • The patient of record is notified in advance of the appointment that the supervising dentist will be absent from the location.
  • The supervising dentist is responsible for all actions of the dental hygienist during treatment of patients under general supervision.

In Montana, the House of Representatives that would allow dental hygienists to provide dental hygiene preventative services in a school-based, oral health program under public health supervision. The bill defines “public health supervision" as “the provision of limited dental hygiene preventative services without the prior authorization or presence of a licensed dentist in a public health facility or school-based oral health program.”

 

Both bills have been sent to their respective State Senates for consideration.

 

ADEA/AADOCR/Friends of NIDCR Advocacy Day 2025!

 

From Wednesday, April 2, 2025, through Thursday, April 3, 2025, the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) and the Friends of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (FNIDCR) will come together for Advocacy Day 2025 in Washington, DC.

 

This in-person event on Capitol Hill will include:

  • A legislative briefing and advocacy training featuring expert speakers.
  • Opportunities to meet with targeted congressional offices, including the chance to connect with your own elected officials.

Advocacy Day is your chance to help shape the future of dental, oral and craniofacial research and education. Don’t miss this opportunity to make your voice heard!

 

The deadline to register for Advocacy Day is March 7, 2025.

 

Please encourage faculty, researchers and students at your institution to participate. Interested faculty, researchers and students can .

 

 

NOTICE:

Please note that there will be no ADEA Advocate during the week of March 10, as we will be attending the ADEA Annual Session and Exhibition at National Harbor, Maryland, just outside of our Nation’s Capital. If you need an advocacy update, feel free to stop by and get one in person! We’ll see you the following week.

ADEA Advocacy in Action

This appears weekly in the ADEA Advocate to summarize and provide direct links to recent advocacy actions taken by ADEA. Please let us know what you think and how we might improve its usefulness.

 

Issues and Resources

  • ADEA on teledentistry
  • ADEA on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on U.S. Dental Schools
  • ADEA policy regarding overprescription of antibiotics
  • For a full list of ADEA memos, briefs and letters click .

The is published weekly. Its purpose is to keep ADEA members abreast of federal and state issues and events of interest to the academic dentistry and the dental and research communities.

 

©2025

American Dental Education Association

655 K Street, NW, Suite 800

Washington, DC 20001

Tel: 202-289-7201

Website:

twitter
Unsubscribe

B. Timothy Leeth, CPA

ADEA Chief Advocacy Officer

 

Bridgette DeHart, J.D.

ADEA Director of Federal Relations and Advocacy

 

Phillip Mauller, M.P.S.

ADEA Senior Director of State Relations and Advocacy

 

Contact Us:
Higher Logic