Connecticut State Department of Public Health

      

OUR MISSION

The Office of Oral Health's mission (OOH) is to promote the oral health of all individuals in Connecticut and to ensure the reduction of disease and health disparities as an integral part of the public’s overall health and well-being.

OUR VISION

Our vision is to provide leadership and expertise in dental public health and maintain a strong and sustainable infrastructure to support essential public health activities related to oral health.

Oral health is an essential component to the general health and well-being of all individuals in Connecticut. Safe and effective dental disease prevention measures exist that everyone can adopt to improve their oral health. These measures include daily oral hygiene activities, a healthy diet, drinking fluoridated water, and regular dental preventive services that include fluoride treatments, dental sealant placement, tobacco cessation programs, and oral cancer screenings.

The OOH supports all individuals in Connecticut through assessment, policy development, and quality assurance and improvement activities that include:

  • collecting, analyzing, and reporting oral health data
  • implementing an oral health surveillance system to identify and detect disease, to inform policy, and to plan and evaluate programs
  • providing leadership in developing plans and policies through a collaborative process
  • mobilizing community partnerships to identify and implement solutions to address oral health needs
  • informing and empowering the public regarding the prevention of oral health problems and solutions to promote overall health
  • supporting equitable access to culturally and socially appropriate, high-quality oral health services; and
  • promoting laws and regulations that protect the public’s well-being. 

Current Projects include work funded through federal grant opportunities including: 

1. Connecticut State Actions to Improve Oral Health Outcomes (a grant from the Centers for Disease Control-CDC):

  • School Sealant Programs: The benefits of dental sealant for youth are promoted and applied at contracted New Haven and Harford Public School-Based Health Centers. 

  • Every Smile Counts Oral Health surveillance                

  • Fluoridation promotion efforts: Ongoing promotion of the benefits of fluoridation for oral health is conducted in partnership with DPH's Drinking Water Section. Efforts include yearly training of Community Water System Operators and other ongoing promotion.                       

2. Grants to States to Support Oral Health Workforce Activities (Health Resources and Services Administration-HRSA)

Oral Health information pages: