HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voiced his commitment to dental health and discussed his agency’s oral health priorities during a budget hearing with the House Appropriations Committee May 14.
RFK Jr. met with committee members to discuss Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposals and a number of healthcare topics, including the recent HHS restructuring, NIH funding, chronic diseases and FDA oversight.
Here is what the HHS Secretary had to say about oral health during the hearing:
Commitment to oral health
Mr. Kennedy said he is “deeply committed” to dental health, acknowledging the importance of oral healthcare for overall wellbeing.
“There [is] so much new science out there that shows how dental health is intricately related to health in the rest of the body, to the microbiome [and] to the brain health,” he said. “We want to do those kinds of studies to make sure we understand that, and we need to make a big commitment to dental health.”