IV

105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 289

Recognizing the 50th anniversary of the National Institute of Dental

Research.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JUNE 9, 1998

Mr. PACKARD (for himself, Mr. BONILLA, Mr. HOYER, Mr. LINDER, Mr. NORWOOD, and Mr. PORTER) submitted the following concurrent resolution;

which was referred to the Committee on Commerce

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Recognizing the 50th anniversary of the National Institute

of Dental Research.

Whereas the National Institute of Dental Research was established on June 24, 1948, by the National Dental Research Act as the third Institute of the National Institutes of Health;

Whereas the Act entrusted the Institute with a leadership

role designed to improve and promote the dental health

of the American people through research on the causes

and prevention of dental diseases;

Whereas the Institute supports biomedical and behavioral research in its laboratories and in public, private, and academic research centers throughout the Nation;
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•HCON 289 IH

Whereas the Institute influences research activities and the

promotion of oral health worldwide through its sponsorship of and its participation in international meetings,

and by organizing exchanges of dental research investigators and of scientific information;

Whereas the Institute disseminates science-based information

and research findings about craniofacial, oral, and dental

diseases to other Federal agencies, Congress, health professionals, consumer groups, industry, and the public;

Whereas the Institute is the Nation’s primary source of funding for the research, training, and career development of

dental, oral, and craniofacial scientists;

Whereas the Institute maximizes its research investment by

fostering collaborations and partnerships with other Government agencies, industry, regulatory bodies, and other

partners to create opportunities to speed the translation

of scientific discovery to clinical practice;

Whereas the Institute gives special attention to the health

needs of special populations, such as children, minorities,

women, the elderly, the underprivileged, and the disabled;

Whereas the Institute works closely with allied associations,

industry, academic health professionals, and consumer

groups in promoting the transfer of research findings to

dental practitioners and other health professionals and

engages in comprehensive oral health promotion and disease prevention activities of direct benefit to the public;

Whereas research supported by the Institute established that

dental caries and periodontal diseases are bacterial infections, and these findings led to further research to devise

prevention, diagnosis, and treatment strategies that have

caused a dramatic improvement in the oral health of the
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•HCON 289 IH

American people and the savings of $4,000,000,000 in

dental expenses each year;

Whereas the Institute, in completing the Grand Rapids water

fluoridation project, confirmed the efficacy of fluoride for

the reduction of dental caries and introduced fluoridation

and its benefits to the world;

Whereas while the Institute continues to support research to

further understand and prevent dental caries and periodontal diseases and other conditions that lead to tooth

loss, the Institute has broadened its focus to embrace the

entire craniofacial-oral-dental complex; critical areas include other infectious diseases, such as hepatitis and

HIV/AIDS; inherited diseases and disorders such as disfiguring craniofacial birth defects; neoplastic diseases

such as oral cancers; chronic and disabling diseases such

as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and the temporomandibular disorders; auto-immune diseases such as

Sjo ̈gren’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes;

tissue repair and regeneration; and the interactive roles

of behavioral, sociological, economic, environmental, genetic, and other biological factors involved in craniofacialoral-dental diseases; and

Whereas the National Institute of Dental Research, in being

instrumental in the dramatic decline of oral and dental

diseases and in addressing other critical, oral, and systemic diseases that affect the craniofacial-oral-dental

complex, is worthy of special commemoration by the Congress: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That the Congress—
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1 (1) commemorates the creation of the National

2 Institute of Dental Research, through the National

3 Dental Research Act, and its significant national

4 leadership role;

5 (2) reaffirms its support of the National Dental

6 Research Act and its entrustment of the Institute

7 with important responsibilities that include conduct8 ing and fostering research on the causes, prevention,

9 methods of diagnosis, and treatment of dental dis10 eases and conditions; and

11 (3) recognizes the many multidisciplinary sci12 entists, professional organizations, and patient advo13 cacy groups for their contributions to the fulfillment

14 of the goals supported by the Institute.

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