I am testifying on behalf of the American Association for Dental Research and our 5,300 member scientists. Dental and Oral Science has a brilliant track record for cost effectiveness. Federal investment in dental research has saved billions in dental care costs, has resulted in dramatic improvements in dental practice and created a generation of Americans with the best oral health in the world. One of the most exciting discoveries in developmental biology in recent years was that genes determining body shape in the fruit fly, play similar roles in man.
Birth defects involving the face are especially devastating and remain an area of great concern.
By this I mean that the oral diseases affect other organs and the mouth is affected by diseases in other organs. Since we gave testimony last year, evidence continues to emerge that periodontal disease is an infection which may be implicated in atherosclerosis leading to heart attacks and stroke. Evidence of oral bacteria has recently been found in atherosclerotic plaques in human carotid arteries. Periodontitis is associated with preterm low birth weight babies and may be responsible for as many as 18 percent of the 250,000 premature low-weight infants born in the United States each year. The emotional, social, and economic costs associated with these small babies are staggering.