III 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 182 

Congratulating the American Dental Hygienists’ Association on the 100th 

anniversary of the profession of dental hygiene and commending its 

work to improve the oral health of the people of the United States. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 21, 2013 

Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. FRANKEN, Mr. 

HARKIN, Mr. KING, and Mr. BROWN) submitted the following resolution; 

which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Congratulating the American Dental Hygienists’ Association 

on the 100th anniversary of the profession of dental 

hygiene and commending its work to improve the oral 

health of the people of the United States. 

Whereas the first dental hygiene education program was established in 1913 and early graduates worked in schools 

providing direct access to oral health care to school children; 

Whereas the American Dental Hygienists’ Association is the 

largest national organization representing the more than 

150,000 licensed dental hygienists in the United States; 

Whereas, in order to become licensed as a dental hygienist, 

an individual must graduate from one of the 335 accredVerDate Mar 15 2010 20:55 Jun 21, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR182.ATS SR182

tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•SRES 182 ATS 

ited dental hygiene education programs in the United 

States and successfully complete a national written exam 

and a State or regional clinical exam; 

Whereas, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 

dental hygiene profession is one of the fastest growing 

health care professions, with employment of dental hygienists expected to grow 38 percent between 2010 and 

2020; 

Whereas dental hygienists are prevention specialists who understand how the connection between oral health and 

total health can prevent disease, treat problems while 

they are still manageable, conserve critical health care 

dollars, and save lives; 

Whereas new research continues to demonstrate that oral 

health is a vital element of overall health; 

Whereas dental caries (more commonly known as tooth 

decay) are the single most common chronic disease of 

childhood, 5 times more common than asthma; 

Whereas nearly 48,000,000 people in the United States live 

in areas without enough dental practitioners; 

Whereas less than 40 percent of children enrolled in Medicaid 

receive at least one preventive dental service each year 

and this percentage varies widely among the States; 

Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services estimates that more than 9,000 new dental practitioners are 

needed to address the dental workforce shortage in underserved areas; 

Whereas the American Dental Hygienists’ Association represents, empowers, develops, and supports dental hygienists; 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•SRES 182 ATS 

Whereas the American Dental Hygienists’ Association works 

to improve access to oral health care services, which are 

essential to the health of the people of the United States; 

Whereas the Center for Lifelong Learning of the American 

Dental Hygienists’ Association seeks to advance the 

study of dental hygiene through educational opportunities; and 

Whereas the American Dental Hygienists’ Association advocates in support of Federal oral health programs, expanding access to care for underserved populations, optimizing 

the dental workforce, and maximizing coverage for oral 

health services: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) congratulates the American Dental Hygien3 ists’ Association on the 100th anniversary of the 

4 profession of dental hygiene; 

5 (2) commends the American Dental Hygienists’ 

6 Association for its work to improve the oral health 

7 of the people of the United States, a fundamental 

8 part of overall health and well-being; 

9 (3) recognizes dental hygienists across the 

10 United States who volunteer their time and re11 sources to further their profession and to increase 

12 access to oral health care services; and 

13 (4) commends the dental hygiene profession on 

14 its centennial celebration. 

Æ 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with BILLS