On Dec. 4, 2017, AGD President, Manuel Cordero, DDS, CPH, MAGD, met at the headquarters of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) with the new HRSA Administrator, George Sigounas, MS, Ph.D., who took over the post on May 1, 2017. HRSA’s Chief Dental Officer, Renée W. Joskow DDS, MPH, CAPT, USPHS, also participated. The meeting provided an excellent opportunity for Dr. Cordero to introduce the AGD and the role of the general dentist in oral health to Dr. Sigounas. Additional topics discussed include the importance of prevention and oral health literacy, and the important role that general dentists play in volunteering services at free dental clinics.

HRSA is an important federal agency for oral health. It provides funding, technical assistance and subject matter expertise for multiple oral health programs, activities, and initiatives to increase access to quality oral health care in underserved communities across the country.

Impact on General Dentistry: As part of this important meeting, several possible collaborations between HRSA and the AGD were identified to improve the oral health of vulnerable populations.