Connecticut State Department of Public Health

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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. 

Office of Oral Health Activities - Past and Present: 

  • School Sealant Programs: For many years, the OOH has worked with the school-based heath centers in the Hartford and New Haven Public School systems to promote the benefits of dental sealants. 

  • Oral Health Surveillance: The OOH's surveillance activities include maintaining the CT Oral Health Surveillance System (COHSS) that the program uses to identify disparities in health outcomes and in acess to care. For many years, the program has also conducted surveys to assess the oral health status of children and older adults in the state. The results from these surveys can be found in The Every Smile Counts Reports. Click here to learn more about the COHSS, read through the reports, and review oral health data from other sources.       

  • Fluoridation: The OOH has continuously promoted the benefits of fluoridation for oral health in partnership with CT DPH's Drinking Water Section. Efforts have included annual trainings for water treatment plant operators around the state. Click here to learn more about the history of fluoridation in Connecticut, its oral health benefits, and more!   
  • Medical Dental Integration (MDI): Through its initiatives, the OOH strives to promote the importance of medical dental integration and the connection between oral health and overall health. Click here to watch a video on the importance of MDI and to learn more about the Nutrition and Prediabetes Toolkits the OOH developed for dental providers. These toolkits were developed as part of the OOH's first MDI project to integrate prediabetes screening, referral and education into daily dental practice by identifying adults at risk for type 2 diabetes and initiative referrals to primary medical care for follow-up and referral to a Lifestyle Change Program. Dental providers can use the toolkits to screen patients for obesity and prediabetes. Click here to learn more about the OOH's "It's More Than Just Your Smile" media campaign. The campaign was created as part of the OOH's Mobile Medical Dental Integration Project to increase access and reduce barriers to oral health services and COVID-19 vaccination through the establishment of a medical dental vehicle (MDV) program in Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (DHPSAs). The purpose of the media campaign is to educate the public on the connection between oral health and overall health, and on the importance of preventive dental care and COVID-19 vaccination.

Oral Health information pages: