ADA urges Senate to include oral health provisions in defense bill

The ADA is urging Senate leaders to include key oral health provisions in the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026. 

In a Sept. 24 letter addressed to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., ADA leaders voiced support for language in the House-passed version of the legislation that includes an amendment introduced by Rep. Brian Babin, D.D.S., R-Texas.  

The amendment focuses on improving accreditation in military dental treatment facilities by requiring a report to Congress that must include exact data on the scope of accreditation for dental treatment facilities, determine any remaining barriers to full accreditation, identify the necessary resources to ensure compliance, estimate associated costs and provide recommendations for fulfilling the mandate. 

“Successful accreditation efforts help guarantee operational excellence and the highest standards of care within [medical treatment facilities] and their [dental treatment facility] components. The ADA strongly supports this amendment and applauds its inclusion in the House version of the [National Defense Authorization Act],” wrote ADA President Brett Kessler, D.D.S., and Interim Executive Director Elizabeth Shapiro, D.D.S., J.D.

Drs. Kessler and Shapiro emphasized the connection between oral health and military readiness, noting that service members with a class 3 dental readiness status are ineligible for deployment. They called routine dental care “essential to maintaining military readiness,” urging Senate leaders to retain the oral health provisions as they reconcile differences between House and Senate versions of the National Defense Authorization Act.  

“We support the aforementioned oral health provisions to promote total body health and secure the national defense. We respectfully request your consideration of these oral health provisions within any final, unified version of the NDAA that comes before the Senate,” Drs. Kessler and Shapiro concluded. “The ADA will continue to support initiatives to strengthen the military dental treatment system and ensure military readiness.”