Healthy People 2030: Oral Health Objectives

Every decade, the Healthy People initiative develops a new set of science-based, 10-year national objectives with the goal of improving the health of all Americans. Healthy People 2030external icon establishes a framework—the vision, mission, foundational principles, plan of action, and overarching goals—and identifies new objectives.

Healthy People 2030 has five overarching goalsexternal icon:

  • Attain healthy, thriving lives and well-being, free of preventable disease, disability, injury, and premature death.
  • Eliminate health disparities, achieve health equity, and attain health literacy to improve the health and well-being of all.
  • Create social, physical, and economic environments that promote attaining full potential for health and well-being for all.
  • Promote healthy development, healthy behaviors, and well-being across all life stages.
  • Engage leadership, key constituents, and the public across multiple sectors to take action and design policies that improve the health and well-being of all.

Healthy People 2030 Objectives for Oral Health

Fifteen of the Healthy People 2030 objectives relate directly to oral health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), Indian Health Service (IHS), and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) are the leads for tracking the progress of these objectives.

The overall goal of the Healthy People 2030 oral health objectivesexternal icon is to prevent and control oral and craniofacial diseases, conditions, and injuries and improve access to related services. Like general health, oral health status in the United States tends to vary based on social and economic conditions.

How Has Healthy People 2030 Changed?

For Healthy People 2030, the biggest change is the reduction in the number of objectives. There are 355 core—or measurable—objectives. With fewer objectives, there is less overlap and greater focus on the most pressing public health issues, making it easier to find the objectives that are relevant to your work.

Read more about Healthy People 2020 and the changes in 2030external icon here.

A small subset of high-priority Healthy People 2030 objectives will be selected to drive action toward improving health and well-being. These objectives—known as Leading Health Indicatorsexternal icon (LHIs)—help organizations, communities, and states across the nation focus their resources and efforts to improve the health and well-being of all people.

There is one oral health LHI in Healthy People 2030: OH‑08 — Increase use of the oral health care systemexternal icon.

Oral diseases cause pain and disability for millions of people in the United States, and some are linked to other diseases — like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Regular visits to the dentist can help prevent oral diseases and related problems, but most people haven’t been to the dentist in the last year. Strategies to make it easier for people to get dental care are critical for better oral health and overall health outcomes.