Promoting the public's oral health: the Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Public Health Service, and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

The story of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), its United States Public Health Service (US PHS), and the US PHS Commissioned Corps is comprised of people and programs aimed at protecting and promoting the nation's health, including oral health. The federal precursors of these organizations focused on clinical services for federal beneficiaries, and with time grew to include federal support for community and state programs for underserved and institutionalized populations; biomedical and behavioral research conduct: drug, device, and food regulatory activities; and, most recently, an enhanced response to biodefense and emergency readiness, among other activities. An essential component of the workforce addressing these activities is the US PHS Commissioned Corps, directed by the Surgeon General of the US PHS. This corps is a mobile, uniformed health service assigned to programs throughout the DHHS, as well as to other departments and agencies as needed. Dentistry has been a critical part of these programs and of the corps since their inception.