In November 2008, the American Academy of Pediatrics hosted the
National Summit on Children's Oral Health: A New Era of Collaboration. Attended by 125 representatives from leading medical, dental and
other organizations, family advocates, and federal agencies, the
Summit
was organized to discuss national progress in meeting the recommendations
of the
2000 Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General and the
National Call to Action to Promote Oral Health.
As background information for the Summit, papers were commissioned from nationally prominent oral health educators, researchers, and policy experts. The updated papers have been published in the
Academic Pediatrics' Special Issue on Children's Oral Health along with special commentaries by: Drs
David Satcher, 16th Surgeon General of the
United States; guest editor
Rebecca Slayton and Harold Slavkin, former Director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research; and
Peter Szilagyi, Editor in Chief of
Academic Pediatrics.
Also highlighted is the
2008 AAP Periodic Survey of Pediatricians' Office Practices in Oral Health. These papers reflect discussions at the Summit and consider progress and challenges remaining in children's oral health since the release of the
Surgeon General's Report on Oral Health. Key educational, research, and policy strategies are proposed to advance children's oral health and access to oral health services. The
Acknowledgements page in
this Special Issue identifies the Advisory
Board, funders, and others without whose support this project would not have been possible. Additional background information prepared for the Summit, as well as the agenda
and list of speakers and attendees, is also provided on this Web site. (see below)
We hope these papers will strengthen your commitment to advancing
this important area of children's health. It is up to all of us.
Wendy Mouradian, MD, MS, Project Director
Professor of Pediatric Dentistry, Pediatrics and Health Services,
University of Washington Schools of Dentistry, Medicine and Public
Health, Seattle
