The White House’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative aims to tackle many childhood chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes. However, it overlooks the most common chronic childhood illness—cavities.
Tooth decay affects nearly 46% of American children and is much more common than asthma or hay fever. Left untreated, cavities can cause pain, developmental problems, lower self-esteem, missed school days, and even life-threatening complications.
Oral health is closely linked to overall health. Poor dental care can increase risks for heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions through the oral microbiome—the bacteria in our mouths shaped by environment, diet, and stress.
Untreated dental problems also impact economic outcomes and even military readiness, as severe tooth decay can disqualify young adults from service.
The MAHA movement focuses on reducing chronic disease but needs to include oral health as a critical part of the strategy. The commission plans to study how diet and environment affect children’s health and promote policies supporting better nutrition and dental care access.
For children to grow up healthy and thrive, oral health cannot be ignored. Including dental disease prevention in national health efforts will improve lives, education, and future opportunities for millions of Americans.
