Last Thursday, AGD met with Administrator Carole Johnson of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to welcome the Administrator to her new role and reinforce AGD’s ongoing collaboration with the agency. Dr. Gerry Botko, AGD President, and Dr. Mike Bromberg, AGD Congressional Liaison, introduced the AGD to the Administrator, highlighting the association’s more than 40,000 members and overviewing AGD’s mission to promote the public’s oral health and serve the needs and represent the interests of general dentists.

During the meeting, AGD informed Administrator Johnson of its ongoing advocacy efforts to support HRSA’s oral health literacy (OHL) education campaign. The campaign is designed to operate across existing HRSA programs and will use evidence-based strategies and tested messaging to communicate directly with vulnerable populations and improve OHL. AGD successfully led efforts to secure appropriations for the development of the campaign in years past and continues to advocate for its legislative authorization in Congress.

AGD thanked the Administrator for HRSA’s ongoing efforts to quickly fill the position of its Chief Dental Officer, the agency’s oral health expert. The AGD also expressed support for HRSA programs that advance general dentistry, including the National Health Service Corps, a program that helps connect dentists with employment in underserved communities and offers special loan repayment opportunities to participants.

Impact on General Dentistry: The AGD looks forward to working with Administrator Johnson to promote the oral health care needs of the vulnerable populations served by HRSA. AGD will continue to advocate for new and existing HRSA programs that support general dentistry and advance key AGD priorities.