General Oral Health Resources

•  The American Dental Association (ADA) is a provider resource for continuing education courses, clinical resources, and publications about oral health. ADA also developed a patient resource called Mouth Healthy  which provides nutrition and oral health information for all ages.   

• The Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD)  is a national non-profit organization representing the directors and staff of state public health agency programs regarding oral health. They provide consulting, best practices, and guidelines for many public health activities.     

• The National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center  provides oral health information and resources for patients and providers. The 2012  Oral Health Care During Pregnancy: A National Consensus Statement  is an important resource for providers regarding the oral health of pregnant women. 

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Oral Health Division provides current information on oral health,  community water fluoridation,  dental sealants,  oral health data and more. 

• Smiles for Life courses discuss core oral health topics relevant to health professionals. However, anyone can access them to learn more about oral health. 

Fluoride and Fluoridation

•  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Oral Health Division  provides current information on community water fluoridation. To know your water system's fluoridation status, use the My Water's Fluoride (MWF) tool.  

• The American Fluoridation Society  provides scientifically-based education and support for water fluoridation across the US. 

Dental Sealants

• The 2009 Journal of The American Dental Association (JADA) article,  Preventing Dental Caries Through School-Based Sealant Programs, reported recommendations for dental sealant use in school-based sealant programs.     

• The 2018 Journal of The American Dental Association (JADA) article,  Evidence-based clinical practice guideline on nonrestorative treatments for carious lesions includes clinical recommendations from the American Dental Association. 

Oral Health Data

• The Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD)  developed the Basic Screening Survey (BSS) protocol to standardize procedures across the nation. More information about the BSS protocol can be found here. 

• The National Oral Health Data Portal, developed by ASTDD, includes consolidated datasets on oral health status, attitudes, cost, utilization, and access to care. 

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Oral Health Division  provides current information on oral health,  community water fluoridation,  dental sealants,  oral health data and more. 

• The  National Oral Health Surveillance System (NOHSS), jointly developed by the CDC and the ASTDD, monitors the burden of oral disease by analyzing nation and state-level trends over time. 

• The  National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) provides national and state-level data about the health and well-being of children, their families and communities. It includes several oral health indicators.  

• The  Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) provides the most comprehensive population-based data on maternal health care before, during and after pregnancy in Texas. 

• The  School Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey (SPAN) monitors body mass index (BMI) in school-aged children in Texas. SPAN identifies factors in Texas students that may lead to obesity, including dietary behaviors, nutrition knowledge and attitudes, physical activity, and social and environmental factors.  

• The Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is the nation's system of health-related telephone surveys that collect state data about US residents regarding their health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventative services.  

• The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) is a classroom-based paper survey that monitors health-risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death, disability, and social problems among youth and adults in the US. 

Last reviewed and updated: May 14, 2024