The AGD joined Tobacco Free Kids and 69 other health, medical, education, and community organizations in a letter to congressional appropriators, urging them to fund the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) at $261.5 million for fiscal year 2023. The funding request is equal to the amount outlined in the Chairman’s mark released by the Senate Appropriations Committee in July, a $20 million increase over the fiscal year 2022 funding level for OSH.

OSH plays a vital role in reducing tobacco use. It provides grants to states and territories to support tobacco prevention and cessation programs, runs a highly successful national media campaign called Tips from Former Smokers (Tips), conducts important research on tobacco use, and develops best practices for reducing it. Additional resources will allow OSH to address the threat to public health posed by high rates of youth e-cigarette use while continuing to prevent and reduce all tobacco use.

Impact on General Dentistry: The AGD remains actively engaged in the FY2023 appropriations process and supports evidence-based policies that seek to effectively reduce tobacco use, particularly among adolescents and young adults. The link between tobacco use, disease, and adverse oral health conditions is well-founded.