Dental groups urge Congress to support PREVENT HPV Cancers Act

Washington — The Organized Dentistry Coalition is urging Congress to pass HR 1550, the PREVENT HPV Cancers Act, which encourages the use of the human papillomavirus vaccine in order to reduce the risk for HPV-related cancers.

“We strongly support improving the oral health care of all Americans and believe [this bill] would help to do that,” the dental groups wrote.

The organizations sent an Aug. 25 letter  to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., urging the leaders to prioritize the bill and bring it to House floor for a vote. In the letter, the groups noted that HPV is now associated with 9,000 cases of head and neck cancers each year in the United States, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We hope HR 1550 will provide the national public awareness needed to help Americans safeguard their oral health against diseases of the mouth, throat and tonsils,” the coalition wrote. “Our collective organizations would appreciate the opportunity to work with Congress to help educate the public about the benefits of the HPV vaccine.”

“We strongly support this bipartisan legislation, and believe the administration of the HPV vaccine is a safe and effective way to reduce the risk for HPV-related cancers.”

For more information on the ADA’s advocacy efforts, visit ADA.org/Advocacy .