The White House recently released the outline of regulatory-related actions it plans to take in the coming months within the Spring 2021 Unified Agenda. The agenda provides insights into the Administration’s regulatory priorities and the potential timing for these regulations to be published and released for comment on by public stakeholders. 

The agenda contains information on several notable pending regulatory actions related to dentistry and oral health, such as:

• Proposed rulemaking on an OSHA infectious disease protection standard for employees in health care and other high-risk environments – December 2021
• Proposed rulemaking to ban menthol as a flavor in cigarettes – April 2022
• Proposed rulemaking to ban flavored cigars – August 2021
• Final rule to harmonize the standard for the amount of fluoride added in bottled water with the USPHS recommendation for the optimal fluoride concentration for community water systems – March 2022

Impact on General Dentistry: AGD is monitoring the Administration’s regulatory initiatives to evaluate their potential impact on dentistry and the state oral health across the country. AGD looks forward to supporting efforts to curb tobacco use and ensure appropriate fluoridation levels in drinking water, as they stand to help curb dental decay and improve oral health.