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American Dental Education Association


Volume 3, No. 75, April 3, 2025

Trump Nominates New CDC Director
 
President Trump has chosen Susan Monarez, Ph.D., as the nominee [ [link removed] ] to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), making her the permanent head after serving as the acting director since January. She replaces Dr. David Weldon, whose nomination was withdrawn [ [link removed] ] due to concerns about his ability to secure Senate confirmation. Dr. Monarez will be the first CDC Director to undergo a Senate vote, following a 2022 law requiring Senate confirmation for the position. Previously, presidents could appoint CDC directors without Senate approval.
 
Dr. Monarez, an infectious disease researcher, previously served as Deputy Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. If confirmed, she would be the first nonphysician to lead the agency in over 50 years.

HHS Announces Department Reorganization and Staff Cuts
 
The Trump administration has announced [ [link removed] ] a significant restructuring of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which will lead to a reduction of 20,000 full-time jobs. This number includes employees who have accepted early retirement or voluntary buyouts, along with an additional 10,000 job cuts. As a result, the HHS workforce will decrease from 82,000 to 62,000. Additionally, the department's divisions will be consolidated from 28 to 15 in an effort to streamline operations and focus on key priorities. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated that the restructuring aims to improve efficiency and better align with the department’s mission of combating chronic disease while reducing costs for taxpayers. HHS also released a fact sheet [ [link removed] ] with the announcement.
 
A major aspect of the reorganization is the creation of a new entity called the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA), which will bring 5 agencies under its umbrella, including the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) where oral health programs reside and focus on coordinating chronic care and disease prevention programs. This new agency will consolidate several existing divisions and place greater emphasis on primary care, maternal and child health, mental health and HIV/AIDS. The job cuts will impact multiple agencies under HHS, including:
 • 3,500 positions at the Food and Drug Administration,
 • 2,400 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
 • 1,200 at National Institutes of Health and
 • 300 at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

However, HHS has clarified that the reductions will not affect critical functions such as drug, medical device and food safety reviews or inspections, nor will they impact Medicare or Medicaid services.
 
HHS states that the restructuring is projected to save $1.8 billion annually through the reduction-in-force, though HHS operates with an overall budget of nearly $2 trillion, most of which funds Medicaid and Medicare benefits, mandatory spending.. This move aligns with Trump’s broader goal of reducing the size and scope of the federal government—an initiative heavily influenced by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). By cutting jobs and consolidating agencies, the administration aims to make HHS more efficient and cost-effective while maintaining essential services for public health and safety.

NIH Director and FDA Commissioner Confirmed by Senate
 
Last week, the U.S. Senate confirmed Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H. [ [link removed] ] , as Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by a vote of 56 to 44 and Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D., [ [link removed] ] as Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by a vote of 53 to 47.
 
Both Drs. Makary and Bhattacharya begin their new positions as their agencies face major workforce upheavals as the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is being reorganized by the Trump administration. Drs. Makary and Bhattacharya report to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Arizona Sends Oral Preventive Assistant Bill to Governor
 
The Arizona Senate has passed a bill [ [link removed] ] that would create a new oral health professional in the state, known as an Oral Preventive Assistant (OPA). Under the bill, a dental assistant who has completed additional training and meets specified requirements would be permitted to remove plaque, calculus and stains with scalers or sonic or ultrasonic scaling devices on patients who have first received a periodontal evaluation by a dentist or dental hygienist.
 
In order to meet the training requirements to become an OPA, a dental assistant must:
 • Complete a board-approved, OPA training course that includes at least 120 hours of didactic and clinical instruction with patients and that is provided by a qualifying institution;
 • Hold a current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation;
 • Hold a board-approved certification for both coronal polishing and radiography; and
 • Either hold a current national board certification in dental assisting or have successfully completed a dental assisting educational program accredited by a state or national organization that accredits dental programs.

Additional limitations for OPAs under the bill include:
 • An OPA would be limited to practicing only on periodontally healthy patients or patients with localized mild gingivitis.
 • An OPA would be prohibited from using any air polishing technology or device or practice on patients who have been treated for periodontal disease, have generalized recession, are medically compromised or are under sedation.
 • An OPA would only be permitted to practice in under the direct supervision of a dentist or dental hygienist.

The bill will be sent to Governor Katie Hobbs (D) for consideration.

DEI Ban Heads to Desk of Ohio Governor
 
The Ohio Legislature has voted to send legislation [ [link removed] ] that would ban diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at institutions of higher education to the desk of Governor Mike DeWine (R). If enacted, the bill would ban:
 • Any orientation or training course regarding DEI, unless the institution submits a written request for an exception;
 • The continuation of existing or establishment of new DEI offices or departments;
 • Using DEI in job descriptions;
 • Contracting with consultants or third parties whose role is to promote admissions, hiring or promotion on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression;
 • The establishment of any new institutional scholarships that use DEI and, if DEI requirements cannot be eliminated from an existing institutional scholarship, prohibits accepting additional funds to operate those scholarships; or
 • Replacing an orientation, training, office or position designated for DEI with one under a different designation that serves the same or similar purposes, or that uses the same or similar means.

Institutions would also be required to declare and affirm that they will not:
 • Endorse or oppose any controversial beliefs or policies, except on matters that directly impact the institution’s funding or mission of discovery, improvement or dissemination of knowledge;
 • Influence or require students, faculty or administrators to endorse or express a given ideology, political stance or view of a social policy;
 • Require a student to endorse or express a given ideology, political stance or view to obtain an undergraduate or post-graduate degree;
 • Use political and ideological litmus tests in any hiring, promotion and admissions decisions, including diversity statements and other requirements that applicants describe commitment to any ideology, principle, concept or formulation that requires commitment to a controversial belief or policy; Influence or require students, faculty or administrators to endorse or express a given ideology or political stance in any hiring, promotion or admissions process or decision;
 • Use a diversity statement or any other assessment of an applicant’s political or ideological views in any hiring, promotions or admissions process or decision; or
 • Influence or require students, faculty or administrators to endorse or express a given ideology or political stance in any process or decision regulating conditions of work or study.

Institutions would also be required to comply, to the extent possible, with the bill’s prohibitions while retaining eligibility for a research grant and to seek an exception from the Chancellor if compliance while retaining grant eligibility is not possible.
 
Each state institution of higher education would be responsible for responding to complaints from any student, student group or faculty member about an alleged violation of the prohibitions and requirements. If an institution fails to comply, the General Assembly may withhold or reduce any state operating subsidy payments, state capital improvement funds or other state appropriation.
 
Governor DeWine has indicated he will likely sign the bill. [ [link removed] ] Similar laws [ [link removed] ] have been passed in other states.

Utah Bans the Addition of Fluoride to Community Water Systems
 
Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R) has signed legislation [ [link removed] ] that prohibits the state’s public water systems from adding fluoride to drinking water. The ban will become take effect on May 7, and after the state’s Division of Professional Licensing establishes guidelines, pharmacists will be permitted to prescribe fluoride.
 
Supporters of removing fluoride from community water have argued that fluoridation poses potential health risks and that individuals—not the government—should decide whether to consume fluoride. Among the health concerns that have been asserted are worries about neurological effects on fetuses and young children. These concerns are largely based on findings from a review paper [ [link removed] ] that found a possible link between lower IQ scores in children and high levels of fluoride in drinking water. The review relied on studies that were conducted in countries that have community water fluoridation levels that are significantly higher than those recommended for community water in the United States. A recent study [ [link removed] ] conducted in Australia, where community water fluoridation levels are closer to those find in the United States, found “consistent evidence that early childhood exposure to fluoride does not have effects on cognitive neurodevelopment.”
 
Opponents, including dentists and public health experts, warn that banning fluoride could have serious consequences, particularly for low-income communities with limited access to dental care. They argue that fluoridation has been instrumental in reducing tooth decay for decades and emphasize that Utah law requires any decision to add or remove fluoride from public water systems to be made through a vote of the people, not legislative action.
 
For more resources about fluoride, please refer to ADEA’s community water fluoridation webpage. [ [link removed] ]

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

Key Federal Issues [ [link removed] ]

ADEA U.S. Interactive Legislative and Regulatory Tracking Map [ [link removed] ]

Key State Issues [ [link removed] ]

The ADEA Advocate [ [link removed] ] 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: www.adea.org [ [link removed] ]

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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:
[email protected] [ mailto:[email protected] ]

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