HHS Releases Healthy People 2030

  • by AGD Washington Advocacy Representative
  • Aug 28, 2020

On August 18, the HHS Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) released Healthy People 2030 (HP2030) – the 5th version of the Healthy People initiative. HP2030 sets 10-year national objectives to address the nation’s most critical public health priorities, including several related to oral health conditions, such as:

  • Reducing the proportion of adults with active or untreated tooth decay
  • Increasing the proportion of oral and pharyngeal cancers detected at the earliest stage
  • Increasing use of the oral health care system
  • Reducing the proportion of children and adolescents with lifetime tooth decay
  • Reducing the proportion of children and adolescents with active and untreated tooth decay
  • Increasing the proportion of people with dental insurance 
  • Reducing the proportion of people who can’t get the dental care they need when they need it
  • Increasing the proportion of people whose water systems have the recommended amount of fluoride
  • Reducing the consumption of added sugars by people aged 2 years and over 
  • Reducing the proportion of older adults with untreated root surface decay 
  • Reducing the proportion of adults aged 45 years and over who have lost all their teeth 
  • Reducing the proportion of adults aged 45 years and over with moderate and severe periodontitis 
  • Increasing the proportion of low-income youth who have a preventive dental visit 
  • Increasing the proportion of children and adolescents who have dental sealants on 1 or more molars
  • Increasing the number of states and DC that have an oral and craniofacial health surveillance system

Healthy People 2030 focuses on 355 measurable objectives, with new objectives related to opioid use disorder and youth e-cigarette use, and resources for adapting Healthy People 2030 to emerging public health threats like COVID-19. HHS has published a timeline for work on the Healthy People initiative for the remainder of 2020 and throughout the coming decade.

Impact on General Dentistry: Healthy People data is a vital tool in advocating for oral health-related policies and for monitoring the state of various oral health-related indicators within the U.S. population.