1512-11664

National: Support to the Marymount University to conduct a study, which will quantify the economic losses associated with oral health problems among families and children in the United States. Using the 2008 National Health Interview Survey, the study will aim to estimate the total number of work and school hours missed by employed individuals and school-going children due to visits to the dentist and the emergency room. The results of the study will be reported by gender, age, race, family income, education level, and occupation. The study will focus on increasing public awareness of oral health value and promoting health equity. $8,400 will support the personnel necessary to conduct the study and subsequently disseminate the study results. The proposal aligns with the Oral Health 2020 goal of improving public perception of the value of oral health within overall health and the target that oral health is increasingly included in health dialogue and public policy.