March 3, 2025
A national campaign brought oral health out of the shadows and onto the desks of policymakers, the press, and the public.
In 1999, with funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Liz Rogers led the development of the Campaign for Oral Health Parity on behalf of Oral Health America and the America’s Fund for Dental Health. Working in partnership with Hyde Park Communications, the campaign set out to raise awareness among policymakers, opinion leaders, and the public about the urgent need for improved access to oral health care—particularly in response to Oral Health in America, the U.S. Surgeon General’s landmark report issued by Dr. David Satcher.
The campaign gained additional support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2001 and went on to produce a nationally recognized series of Oral Health Report Cards between 2002 and 2007. These reports evaluated and graded the nation and individual states on indicators such as access to care, prevention, health status, public health infrastructure, and policy. In reports titled Filling the Gaps and Keep America Smiling, the United States received an overall grade of C two years in a row—signaling stalled progress and persistent disparities in oral health, particularly for communities of color, older adults, and people with disabilities.
The campaign’s findings generated major media coverage, including stories by the Associated Press and USA Today, resulting in more than 78 million audience impressions. National briefings, a dedicated oral health conference, and sustained outreach—including a presentation to the Congressional Prevention Coalition—helped keep oral health on the public policy agenda.
In 2003, Liz developed a special edition report, State of Decay, focused on the oral health of older Americans. Commissioned by Senator John Breaux, Chair of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, the report was presented at a Capitol Hill hearing and gave the nation a D grade, citing the lack of Medicare dental coverage and limited Medicaid benefits. At the time, six states offered no adult Medicaid dental coverage, and twenty others only covered emergency procedures such as extractions.
As the campaign progressed, the CDC launched the National Oral Health Surveillance System (NOHSS) to streamline state-level data collection. Liz ensured that report cards were distributed widely to governors, legislators, advocacy organizations, professional groups, and researchers. She also worked with state oral health staff in Oklahoma to develop a tailored report and, in 2005, created a special report highlighting states making measurable progress in response to the Surgeon General’s call to action.
Ultimately, the Oral Health Report Cards helped catalyze public understanding of oral health as essential to overall health—and laid the groundwork for policy reforms at both the state and federal levels.