§ 280k — Oral Healthcare Prevention Education Campaign

(a) The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and in consultation with professional oral health organizations, shall, subject to the availability of appropriations, establish a 5-year national, public education campaign (referred to in this section as the “campaign”) that is focused on oral health education, including prevention of oral disease such as early childhood and other caries, periodontal disease, and oral cancer. (b) In establishing the campaign under subsection (a), the Secretary shall— (1) of title 25) in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner; and (2) utilize science-based strategies to convey oral health prevention messages that include, but are not limited to, community water fluoridation and dental sealants. (1) The Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, may award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible entities to collaborate with State or local public health officials, tribal health officials, oral health professional organizations, and others, as appropriate, to develop and implement initiatives to improve oral health, including activities to prevent dental disease and reduce barriers to the provision of dental services, including— (A) through community-wide dental disease prevention programs; and (B) by increasing public awareness and education related to oral health and dental disease prevention. (2) To be eligible to receive a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this subsection, an entity shall be— (A) a dental association; (B) a State or tribal health department or State or tribal oral health program; (C) an accredited dental education, dental hygiene, or postdoctoral dental education program; or (D) a non-profit community-based organization that partners with public and private non-profit entities, such as an academic institution, to facilitate the provision of dental services to underserved populations.