The Surgeon General's Report on Oral Health
Presented by Rear Admiral Timothy L. Ricks, DMD, MPH, FICD
The U.S. Public Health Service is the only uniformed health service in the world, and this session will begin with an overview of the USPHS and its component agencies. This will be followed by an overview of the forthcoming, second-ever Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health including the Surgeon General’s charge for the Report, the framework of the Report, and the external influences in oral health that will be included in the Report.
Rear Admiral Timothy Ricks currently serves as the Chief Dental Officer of the U.S. Public Health Service as well as Assistant Surgeon General. He serves as the Surgeon General’s spokesperson on oral health and interacts with chief dental officers from other countries, with military chief dental officers, with leaders in organized dentistry, with state oral health programs, and much more. He is currently overseeing the development of the second-ever Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health.
Rear Admiral Ricks has served in the U.S. Public Health Service for over 20 years. Prior to this service, he was an associate dentist, independent contractor, and sole proprietor, and he also served as a military police officer in the Army National Guard. He has served in numerous leadership capacities within the U.S. Public Health Service, led multiple national initiatives, and is the recipient of over numerous USPHS and Indian Health Service national awards, being one of the most decorated dental officers ever in the USPHS. Dr. Ricks holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Delta State University, a Master of Public Health Degree from the University of Nevada, Reno, and received his dental degree from the University of Mississippi. He completed a dental public health residency with the Indian Health Service and is a board-certified Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Public Health and a Fellow of the International College of Dentists.