CALL FOR ABSTRACTS — APHA 2026 Annual Meeting and Expo
Oral Health
Meeting theme: "Together We Thrive: Health Across the Lifespan"
Submission Deadline: Tuesday, March 31, 2026
Thank you for your interest in joining the Oral Health Section as a presenter for APHA 2026! This year's meeting will be November 1-4 in San Antonio, Texas.
Listed below are suggested but not exhaustive topics of interest for the 2025 Oral Health Section scientific program. We welcome any abstracts pertinent to oral health and dental public health:
Championing Systems Thinking in Oral Disease Prevention (think: community water fluoridation, built environment, Healthy People 2030) We welcome collaborative submissions from the Environmental Health Section & Water and Health Caucus
Collaborative Community-Based Oral Health Strategies (think: harm reduction, mental health, PCORI, public health-dental integration) We welcome research from San Antonio/Texas to highlight the work being done in the space we will come together in for 2026
Data-Driven Oral Health Promotion (think: AI models, epidemiology, new data technology)
Interprofessional Oral Health (think: social determinants of health, comorbidities, anti-racism, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities) We encourage submissions focused on intersections among food, nutrition, and oral health
Oral Health Payment and Policy Innovation (think: Medicaid, Medicare, Coverage, Access)
Other timely topics in oral public health
Abstracts will be selected through a rated peer-review process according to public and oral health significance, timeliness, and overall quality.
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Scientific Session Formats
“Oral Sessions”: Typically there are 4 different presentations grouped by theme or session topic. Each presenter has roughly 15 minutes to present, followed by a joint Q&A for all presenters. Only one author per accepted abstract may present. The oral sessions are 90 minutes in length.
“Special Topic Session” designation is reserved for those individuals or organized groups who are submitting 3-4 contributed abstracts for an oral presentation session on a specific topic. Please contact the Oral Health Section program planners (contact information below) if you plan to submit abstracts in conjunction with other colleagues for a "Special Topic Session." Each abstract will be independently reviewed and rated and we are unable to guarantee that these session requests will be accommodated.
"Collaborative Sessions" are co-sponsored with other sections, special interest groups, or caucuses and are typically encouraged. The 2025 collaborative sessions were between the Environmental Health Section; Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs Section; and One Health Section.
“Poster Sessions”: Poster sessions will take place in the Expo Hall and the presenter should be available for the duration of the 60-minute session.
“Roundtable Sessions”: Each presenter has two 15-minute time-slots during the roundtable during a 60-minute session. Presenters bring their own materials and are encouraged to supply handouts, bring laptops, and share websites and other resources.
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Please also note the following prior to your submission:
If accepted, only one author may present.
Abstracts should be no more than 250 words.
Presenters must be individual members of APHA, and register for the meeting in order to present. However, you need not be an active member at the time of abstract submission.
Authors must provide complete and accurate contact information to be notified of abstract status and respond to other inquiries regarding their abstract.
Accepted abstracts may not be presented at any other meeting or published in any journal prior to the APHA Annual Meeting.
All abstract submissions must adhere to APHA criteria (please see below "Continuing Education Credit").
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QUESTIONS? Please contact the Oral Health Section program planners, Abbas Jessani (abbas.jessani@schulich.uwo.ca) and Tooka Zokaie (ztooka@gmail.com).
If your presentation is dependent on additional technology (i.e., internet, video projection) do not submit to a Section, SPIG, Caucus or Forum. Submit your presentation to the Health Informatics Information Technology Theater (HIIT) Center. The HIIT Center is an environment for live presentations of information and computer technology applications for public health. The meeting room is equipped with Internet access, and theater-quality video projection and stereo audio. For more information and detailed requirements click on the program below. (Please note there are a very limited number of openings environment).
