Healthy Holidays, Healthy Smiles
As the year draws to a close, the holiday season offers more than celebration, it presents a meaningful opportunity for oral-health leaders, clinicians, educators, and policymakers to reflect on prevention, integration, and equitable access to care. Seasonal routines, travel, and changes in diet and stress often highlight gaps in preventive practices and underline the importance of coordinated, whole-health approaches.
Elevating Evidence-Based Prevention
This time of year underscores the value of reinforcing preventive care across communities, including early detection, risk assessment, fluoride and sealant utilization, and patient-centered education. Prevention remains the backbone of improving population health and reducing long-term disease burden.
Resource: CDC – Oral Health: Preventing Oral Diseases and Conditions in Communities
Strengthening Oral–Systemic Health Integration
The season’s disruptions in sleep, nutrition, and chronic-disease management offer a natural moment to emphasize the connection between oral health and overall health. Research continues to highlight links among periodontal disease, diabetes, cardiovascular health, and well-being, reinforcing the need for integrated models of care.
Resource: SFG – Oral–Systemic Health
Addressing Access, Coverage, and Year-End Benefits
For many individuals, dental benefits reset in January. This creates a brief but important window for care teams and organizations to support patients in making informed decisions about preventive visits, needed treatment, and coverage utilization, especially for those facing barriers to care.
Resource: NADP – Understanding Dental Benefits
Reaffirming Commitment to Equity and Public Health
Structural gaps in oral-health coverage continue to drive inequities, particularly for older adults. Dr. Zachary Brian’s recent analysis highlights how systemic exclusion of oral health from Medicare Advantage quality metrics undermines prevention, integration, and equity.
Resource: SFG – What Medicare Advantage Is Missing — and Why Oral Health Must Be Part of the Star Rating System and Future
Looking Ahead
As we enter a new year, the Santa Fe Group encourages leaders across dentistry, public health, research, and policy to continue advancing innovative, prevention-oriented, and equity-driven solutions. A healthier future begins with the systems we shape today.
