The ADA launched the Health Equity Action Team in an effort to close the oral health equity gap. The new endeavor was announced on October 13 at the SmileCon meeting in Houston.
The launch event, led by the ADA's Council on Advocacy for Access and Prevention (CAAP), featured Dr. Shailee Gupta, chair of CAAP; Dr. Natalia Chalmers, chief dental officer of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; Dr. Francis Kim, executive director of the American Association for Public Health Dentistry; and Dr. James Mancini, the vice chair of CAAP.
During the event, the team distributed brochures outlining ways that dentists can get involved, including working with community organizations, educating patients about disease prevention, and identifying stakeholders to address local social determinants of health.
